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\ 




Major-General Nelson A. Miles. 
I ommanding United States Armies. 



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A NARRATIVE OF PERSONAL 
OBSERVATION AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE 



BY 



NELSON A. MILES 



MAJOR-GENERAL COMMANDING THE U. S. ARMIES 



With Fifty-six Illustrations 




NEW YORK 
DOUBLEDAY & McCLURE CO. 

1898 



y 







13349 

Copyright, 1898, by 
Nelson A. Miles 






MANHATTAN PRESS 

474 W. BROADWAY 

NEW YORK 






LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Major-General Nelson A. Miles Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Sarcophagus of Alexander at Constantinople 3 

From " Constantinople," by Professor E. A. Grosvenor. 

The Fifth Regiment Imperial Turkish Cavalry 5 

Moltke Monument at Constantinople 7 

From a photograph lent by General Miles. 

The largest Turkish war-ships, the " Mesoodich " and the " Harridich," lying 
in the harbor of Constantinople 9 

Abdul-Hamid II., Sultan of Turkey since 1876. Born 1842 12 

From a photograph by W. and D. Downey, London. 

A Squadron of the First Battalion of the First Regiment of Infantry, Im- 
perial Turkish Guard 14 

Therapia on the Bosporus 16 

Osman Pasha, who commanded the Turkish forces in the defense of Plevna 18 

Edhem Pasha, who commanded the Turkish army in the recent war with 
Greece '. ,.'.'■. --A 18 

Inner view of the fortress of Roumeli Hissar, on the Bosporus, sometimes 
called the " Castle of Europe " 20 

Reproduced from " Constantinople," by Professor Edwin A. Grosvenor. / 

A MANCEUVER ON BOARD THE TURKISH IMPERIAL ARMORED FRIGATE " MaHMOUDIE." 23 
Reproduced from " Le Monde IllustreV' 

Constantine, the Crown Prince of Greece and Commander of the Greek 
army in the recent war with turkey 25 



Vlll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

King George of Greece 25 

Prince George of Greece, Commander of the Greek navy in the recent 
war with Turkey 25 

General Miles on the Greek picket-line, May 29, 1897 27 

Kastraki, a village on the Greek frontier, in Thessaly, — a point of in- 
terest IN THE RECENT WAR 29 

Field-Marshal Viscount Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-chief of the British 
Army 34 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 

Lord Roberts ("Roberts of Kandahar"), Commander of the British forces 
in Ireland 34 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 

The Prince of Wales, as he appeared in the Jubilee procession 37 

From copyrighted photograph by Gregory & Co., London. 

The Jubilee procession in King William Street 41 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 

Colonial premiers in attendance at the Queen's Jubilee and the heads of 
the Colonial Office 43 

From copyrighted photograph by Elliott & Fry, London. 

Types of soldiers in the British army 44 

From copyrighted photograph by Elliott & Fry, London. 

Arrival of the Queen's carriage at St. Paul's 45 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 

A group of colonial officers in attendance at the Queen's Jubilee .... 47 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 

Indian native cavalry Guard of Honor 49 

From photograph by Gregory & Co., London ; by permission of the publishers of " The Navy and 
Army Illustrated." 

The Hon. Maurice Gifford and Captain Ames, favorites in the Jubilee procession 5 1 

From copyrighted photograph by Gregory & Co., London. 

Soldiers of the empire 52 

From photograph by Gregory & Co., London ; by permission of the publishers of "The Navy and 
Army Illustrated." 

Jubilee manceuvers at Aldershot • 53 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IX 

PAGE 

Ships in line at the Jubilee review of the British navy 57 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

Type of the English battle-ship in the Jubilee review — the "Prince 
George " 58 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

The cruiser " Brooklyn," the representative of the United States at the 
Jubilee naval review 59 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

The cruiser " Amiral Pothuan," the representative of France at the 
Jubilee naval review 61 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

The cruiser " Rossia," the representative of Russia at the Jubilee naval 
review 62 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

The battle-ship " Worth," the representative of Germany at the Jubilee 
naval review 63 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

The Spanish armored cruiser " Vizcaya " 65 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

Her Majesty the Queen 66 

The Princess of Wales 67 

"One hundred and sixty-eight vessels of the British navy, manned by 38,000 
men, the most powerful and effective fleet that ever floated upon the 
waters of the earth " 69 

Officers of the Russian gendarmerie preceding an imperial train 74 

General Nelson A. Miles and his aide, Lieutenant-Colonel Maus, viewing 
the manceuvers of the Russian army near St. Petersburg in honor of the 
President of France 75 

Prince Khilkoff, Russian Minister of Public Works 77 

From a photograph by Levitsky, St. Petersburg. 

A group of commanders in the Russian army at the grand review at 
Krasnoe-Selo 78 

Nicholas II., Emperor of Russia 81 

From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris 



X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Manceuvers of Russian soldiers — the passage of a river 84 

From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 

The royal party at the review of Russian troops held in honor of the 
President of France 85 

The Fifty-second Regiment of Infantry of Vilna at Theodosia, in the 
Crimea 88 

From a photograpli by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 

Review of hussars of the Emperor at Krasnoe-Selo, August, 1897 89 

Arrival of President Faure at Kronstadt to visit the Emperor of Russia, 
August 23, 1897 91 

The First Regiment of Orenburg Cossacks at Kharkoff, performing exercises 
on horseback 96 

From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 

Emperor William of Germany, and Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria . . 97 

From a photograph by Strelisky, Budapest. 

King Humbert's regiment of German hussars, dismounted 99 

From a photograph by Jacobi, Metz. 

The Emperors Francis Joseph of Austria and William of Germany 101 

From a photograph by Erdelyi, Budapest. 

Detachment of a German bicycle corps, numbering 800 men 104 

From a photograph by Jacobi, Metz. 

Emperor William of Germany, and King' Humbert of Italy 105 

From a photograph by Jacobi, Metz. 

Siege artillery at Algiers 109 

From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES 
IN TIME OF WAR 



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Sarcophagus of Alexander at Constantinople. From "Constantinople," by Professor E, A. Gi 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES 
IN TIME OF WAR 

IT had been my purpose ior several years to visit Europe at the first 
opportunity when there should be a European war, or hostile armies 
actually in the field. I not only wished to see the troops in action, but I 
desired to investigate the condition of foreign armies and the requirements 
for accommodating troops in garrison, as well as the best arms, uniforms, 
and field equipment for troops in an actual condition of war. 

It is customary for governments to send officers abroad lor this pur- 
pose, and it has been the practice of our government since its establish- 
ment. The first prominent officer to go on this duty was General Winfield 
Scott, at the time of the war between Napoleon and the allied armies; 
but he reached Europe too late to be a witness of the final scene of the 
great drama at Waterloo. Delafield's and McClellan's observations during 
the Crimean war have been of deep interest to military students; also 



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General Sheridan's experience with the Prussian army during the Franco- 
Prussian war. General Sherman, while in command of the army of the 
United States, visited Europe in 1872, and remained an entire year. 
His observations were of great interest and importance to the United 
States. We have now military officers at nearly every court in Europe, 
as well as in the Orient ; and military and naval attaches from foreign 
countries are on duty at our own capital. 

Since the close of the Russo-Turkish war in 1S78, no opportunity for 
such observations as I desired to make presented itself until the hostilities 
between the Greco-Turkish forces in 1897. It may be well at this point 
to recall that the difficulty between Turkey and Greece began early in 
1897 in Crete, where the Christians of the island were dissatisfied with 
the Mohammedan rule. When the riots in the island had become so 
serious that war between Greece and Turkey threatened, the powers 
sent war-ships to the harbor of Canea. On February 21st these ships 
fired some fifty shots into the camp of the Cretan insurgents, located 
outside of the town — a warning that Europe would not permit hostile 
actions. The' skirmishing in Crete continued through the rest of Feb- 
ruary and into March. Early in March, however, Crete ceased to be the 
point of observation. The Turkish and Grecian armies confronted each 
other on the frontier of Thessaly. They exercised tolerable self-control 
until early in April. Then the daring advance of the Greek irregulars 
into the disputed territory caused Edhem Pasha, the commander of the 
I urks, to suggest to his government that it was time to declare war, 
which Turkey did on April 1 7th. Diplomatic relations were at once severed, 
and fighting began. It was evident that there was to be war in earnest. 

I at once made my preparation to go to the field. At the time I left 
Washington, May 4th, the Greeks on the western frontier were holding 
their own, but in the east the Turks had driven them back and occupied 
Larissa. The latest information from the Levant seemed to indicate not 
only that Greece and Turkey would be engaged, but that some of the 
Balkan states and possibly one or more of the great powers of Europe 



Ill 




The Fifth Regiment Imperial Turkish Cavalry. 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF \V A R 



might be involved. The unexpected frequent]}- happens, and as no one 
can foretell when a war will occur, so no one can say what the phases 
will be or how it will terminate. At the moment, no one anticipated 
that, instead of any one of the great powers becoming involved, they 
would all stand aloof and witness the tragedy until it reached a critical 
point, and then combine to check its progress, and dictate the terms 
of peace. 

Such was the situation when I left Washington. On reaching Paris, 
I found that several engagements had taken place while I was on the sea, 
but that the result was still indefinite. I also learned that my best way 
to reach the Turkish army 
was to take the Oriental 
Express to Constantinople. 
This I did, arriving there on 
May 19th. 

I could not have gone to 
a better place to observe the 
Turkish army than Constan- 
tinople itself. Not only is the 
city the headquarters of the 
complex military establish - 
mentwhich governs the army, 
but it is also headquarters for 
the first ot the seven military 
territories into which the em- 
pire is divided. When I ar- 
rived in Constantinople there 
were fully 30,000 men sta- 
tioned in and about the city, 
giving me ample opportunity 
to observe the methods and condition of the Turkish troops. There 
was a mistaken impression, when the late war broke out, that the 




Moltke Monument at Constantinople. 
From a photograph lent by General Miles 



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Turkish army was antiquated in its methods. Military men knew better. 
The Turkish army is at present completely organized in accordance with 
modern methods. This organization is not new ; it was undertaken 
as long' ago as seventy years by Mahmud II. When, about 1S27, he- 
decided to begin the reconstruction of his army, he was obliged to turn 
his cannon on the Janizaries, and not to stop until the last one of that 
body was dead, so hostile were they to any change in the methods of the 
Turkish arm)'. After the Janizaries were out of the way, Mahmud II. 
began to remodel his force. Ten years after this he had Yon Moltke and 
other Prussian officers aiding him. This work has gone on steadily ever 
since, until now the Turkish military forces are completely modernized. 
A monument erected on the site where he formerly lived on the 
Bosporus reminds alike Turk and stranger of the high esteem with 
which Von Moltke's services in this work of reorganization are reearded. 

The army is completely Moslem, no Christians or non- Moslems being 
admitted. Although exempted from duty, the latter are not exempted 
trom military taxes. All young Moslems who have reached twenty-one 
years of age are expected to enter the army for twenty years of service, 
unless they can show some good reason why they should not be called 
upon, such as physical unfitness or family obligations. The registration 
list shows that about 120,000 men are liable to service each year; but, as 
a matter ot lact, only about 65,000 are incorporated into the army. 

According to the latest figures, the army numbers in -time of peace 
244,000 men, 24,000 of these being officers. Its war footing mounts to 
fully 800,000. It will be remembered that, when the war with Greece 
broke out in the spring of 1S97, the Sultan mobilized 600,000 men with- 
out any great effort. New laws and reforms are in operation in the 
army, which it is expected will add enormously to this strength. The 
Sultan believes that at no distant day he will be able to call out, in case 
of necessity, an army of a million and a half men. Of course fully a 
third of this body will be utterly untrained. 

These troops are drawn from all parts of the empire. What is known 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF WAR 




The largest Turkish war-ships, the " Mesorxlich " and the " Harridich," lying in the harbor of 

Constantinople. 

as the territorial system is in vogue in Turkey ; that is, the empire is 
divided into seven military districts. Each of these districts furnishes a 
corps, recruited in the main from within its own limits. If one runs over 
the list of cities which are the headquarters of these corps, he gets some 
idea of the distant points from which the Sultan draws his troops: Con- 
stantinople, Adrianople, Salonika, Erzinjan (northeastern Asia Minor), 
Damascus, Bagdad, and Sana (southwestern Arabia). Not all the portions 
of the empire yield soldiers in equal numbers. Thus the division having 
its headquarters at Sana furnishes few soldiers, its recruits coming from 
Syria and Asia Minor. Those portions of the empire occupied by 
nomad tribes, such as Tripoli and Turkestan, have never until within a 
few years furnished troops. A few years ago, however, an effort was 
made to utilize the nomads in an irregular cavalry resembling the Cos- 
sacks of the Russian army. Regiments have been formed with good 
success. The organization is known as the Hamidie Cavalry, in honor 
of the Sultan, Abdul- Hamid. It is impossible, of course, to apply to 
these irregulars the superior training given to men in the regular army ; 



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nor are they called upon for any large amount of service. They furnish 
their own equipments and mounts. As a rule, they carry ancient rifles or 
pistols, and every man is armed with a lance. So far the only active 
service which the Hamidie Cavalry has seen has been in hunting clown 
the Armenians. It is easy to see from what they have done there that, 
in case ol foreign war, they would be a most dangerous element in the 
Turkish army. 

What I saw of the Turkish soldiers in Constantinople convinced me that 
they are among the most effective in the world. There are many reasons 
for this fact. In the first place, the Turks are a strong race, accustomed 
to hard labor, and consequently are easily molded into enduring soldiers. 
They are all Moslems, and their religion has three elements which con- 
tribute largely to their soldierly qualities. First, it teaches them to 
believe in an absolute despotism; second, it enforces simplicity of life 
and strict temperance; and third, it promises them unending pleasures in 
heaven as a reward for their endurance on earth. The long term of 
service required of the Turks adds, of course, to their effectiveness. It 
should not be forgotten, too, that this service has much of it been active. 
In the last hundred years Turkey has had a greater war record than 
any other nation in Europe. From the beginning of the century up 
to January i, 1897, she spent thirty-seven years in actual warfare. The 
cost ol handling this tremendous army is not great, when compared with 
what other nations spend on their armies. According to the official re- 
turns, the year of 1S97— 98 cost $25,250,000. This does not include the 
extraordinary military expenditure occasioned by war. It is not the 
common soldier, however, who gets this money. His pay amounts to a 
little less than a dollar a month, and often the government is many 
months in arrears in paying the troops. 

The administration of the Turkish army is very complicated. There 
is a Military Cabinet, which regulates cases concerning the distribution 
of the troops; there is a Superior General Inspection Committee of some 
thirty members, whose duty it is to study measures for improving the 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IX TIME OF WAR II 

army ; there is a military section in the Household of the Sultan ; and 
there is a War Ministry, composed of some ten different bureaus. During 
the time that I was in Constantinople, I met several of the leading- mili- 
tary men of the empire, and was greatly impressed by their knowledge 
and their ability. The military genius among them is undoubtedly 
Osman Pasha. He is a man about sixty-six years old, well built, of 
medium height, strong in physique, and intellectually the peer of any 
of the field-marshals that I subsequently met in Europe. His experi- 
ence has added greatly to his natural instincts for military life. In the 
terrible war of the Crimea he acquired knowledge of the equipment, 
disposition, and management of large armies in the field, ami he proved 
himself one of the ablest generals in Europe in the series of wars between 
Russia and Turkey. In the last of those wars, being placed in com- 
mand of an army of 70,000 men with 77 guns, he made one of the 
most brilliant defensive campaigns of modern times. Pitted against 
Russia's ablest generals, the Grand Duke Nicholas, Eieutenant-General 
Gourko, and that greatest military leader of his day, Skobeleff and an 
army of 150,000 men and 500 guns, Osman Pasha made his defense of 
Plevna a most creditable military achievement which demonstrated fully 
his skill and tenacitv- During this desperate siege, three pitched battles, 
besides many minor engagements, were fought. The losses ol the assail- 
ants were 40,000 men, and of the defendants 30,000. The siege of 
Plevna won for Osman Pasha the title of Gazhee the Victorious. 

Osman Pasha reminded me of General Grant more than any other 
man I saw on that side of the Atlantic. His manner is very much like 
that of Grant; a man of few words — in these expressing condensed 
thought. In referring to the success of the army, the rapidity with which 
it had been mobilized, and the universal success in the series of battles 
just ended between the Turks and Greeks, he made a significant remark. 
" Persistency," he said, " is the great secret of success in war. It an army 
is not successful one day, tenacity of purpose and persistency will in 
the end bring victory." This was the great characteristic of the m,in 



12 



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who commanded the government forces in the latter part of our great 
civil war. 

Although the Turkish military administration contains man)- able 
men, the Sultan is the real as well as nominal head of the Turkish army. 




Abdul-Hamid II., Sultan of Turkey since 1876. Born 1S42. 
From a photograph by \V. and D. Downey, London. 

Each department of the military administration is under his guidance, 
and he can and often does assert himself in its affairs. But the Sultan 
is more than the military head of the Turks. He is the recognized spirit- 
ual representative not only of the Mohammedans of his empire, but 
of those of the entire world, numbering some 177,000,000 souls. In 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF WAR 1 3 

virtue of this position, it is his duty to offer each week a prayer for the 
followers of Mohammed wherever they may be. This service — the 
salemlik — I witnessed just after arriving at Constantinople. It im- 
pressed me quite as much by its military as by its religious aspect. 

The salemlik takes place every Friday, in a very beautiful mosque 
not far from the Yildiz Palace, where the Sultan lives. As early as nine 
o'clock in the morning all the approaches to the palace, as well as the 
open spaces, are occupied by troops, particularly infantry and cavalry, and 
all the space left by them is crowded by spectators. The regiments came 
from different parts of the empire, some from the European provinces 
and others from the Asiatic, and appeared to be well disciplined and 
well instructed. As they marched to their positions, my attention was 
attracted by the spirited music of some of the regimental bands. The 
martial music was familiar and homelike, and I was both amused and 
gratified to listen to the stirring notes of Sousa's marches, " El Capitan," 
" High-School Cadets," and others. This was but the prelude, indeed, to 
what I was to listen to in other armies, for the American composer's music 
1 subsequently found to be very popular in several European countries. 

The cavalry were splendidly mounted on strong, hardy horses, well 
equipped and handsomely caparisoned, were well armed, and in every 
way presented a fine appearance. While the troops were moving into 
position, the street or avenue leading from the palace to the mosque was 
covered with fresh sand, and the steps of the mosque were covered with 
a rich carpet, and when all was prepared, the gates of the palace were 
thrown open. The palace guard first moved down the broad avenue, 
lined on both sides by a living wall of troops with glistening bayonets, 
and took position near the mosque ; then came the palace officials, and 
next the princes at the head of their staff-officers. Among the princes 
was a boy apparently fourteen years of age, in naval uniform. He was 
accompanied by a group of officers, and took his position with them 
at the head of the marines and sailors. This young officer presented 
a very spirited, military appearance. Then came the carriages, contain- 



14 



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ing a few of the ladies of the palace, with attendants on foot. They 
moved down to a position near the entrance to the mosque. The horses 
were removed from the carriages, and the tongues taken out and put 
under the carriages, and the latter remained in this position with their 
occupants during the entire ceremony. Finally the Sultan appeared in 
one of the carriages of state, drawn by two beautiful horses with gorgeous 
equipment. As he appeared he was greeted by the strong voices of the 











A Squadron of the First Battalion of the First Regiment of Infantry, Imperial 
Turkish Guard. 



thousands of troops massed in all the approaches to the palace, shouting 
or crying, "Padishah Tchok Pasha" ("Long live the Sultan ! "). They 
hailed him as the personal and spiritual godhead upon earth of all of 
their faith. 

The small, well- poised, silent man whom the multitude were saluting 
was dressed in plain uniform, a simple red fez on his head. Pormerly 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IX TIME OF WAR 1 5 

the sultans wore a diamond aigret on their heads in public, but this 
Abdul-Hamid has discarded. The coachman was in most brilliant livery, 
as well as the personal attendants and guards who marched on foot on 
both sides of the carriage. Osman Pasha was the only occupant of the 
carriage besides the sovereign, and he occupied a front seat facing the 
Sultan. Following the heads of departments and high officials that were 
immediately in rear of the Sultan, were led his two favorite chargers, one 
a very handsome golden sorrel, the other a milk-white Arabian, beauti- 
fully caparisoned. 

After the ceremony the Sultan reappeared and took position in 
another carriage, a very handsome mail-phaeton, richly ornamented and 
drawn by two beautiful white horses, a present from the Emperor of 
Austria. He took the reins and whip himself, and thus returned to the 
palace, followed by the heads of the departments and high officials of the 
government walking rapidly up the steep hill, apparentlv much to their 
discomfort, but indicating the abject subordination of the highest officials 
to the imperial sway, 

The Sultan has occupied the throne of Turkey for twenty-two years. 
Twenty-six years ago, Murad V., his brother, held the same position, 
but, justly or unjustly, was removed on a charge of being of unsound 
mind. There are many who claim that he desired to institute certain 
reforms that were not popular with the pashas and influential men of the 
empire. Be that as it may, he was removed to the beautiful palace of 
Cheragan, on the right bank ot the Bosporus, and he is supposed to be 
yet alive within its walls. A palace on the water is his winter home, and 
one standing on the heights about a mile distant, and yet within the walls 
of the great inclosure which surrounds the grounds, is also at times 
supposed to be occupied by the dethroned Sultan,- his families and 
attendants. On the outside of the walls are two great uarrisons of some 
4000 troops, guarding every approach by land or water. 

After the Sultan's return to the palace, I was notified by the Master 
of Ceremonies that an audience would be granted me, and 1 was accom- 



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Therapia on the Bosporus. 

panied by the United States Minister, the Hon. A. W. Terrill, to the 
palace. We passed through several rooms occupied by guards and 
palace officials to a large reception-room, there to await an opportunity 
of being presented to the sovereign. It so happened that the Russian 
ambassador was there waiting for the same purpose. He had come in 
before us, and of course took precedence. While we were waiting, we 
had a pleasant conversation, during which he informed our minister that 
this was the first interview he had had with the sovereign for several 
months, and that the object of his visit was simply to thank him for 
granting the personal request of the Emperor of Russia to withhold the 
onward march of the Turkish army in Greece until the situation had been 
considered by the great powers of Europe. The armistice had been 
declared only two days before, May 19th. He, in a very few moments, 
passed into the Sultan's reception-room, and remained for some thirty 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF WAR I J 

minutes. Before going in he seemed to be somewhat exercised, and his 
face indicated great anxiety. The importance of his mission seemed 
to impress him much, and he manifested it by pacing the room and in- 
dulging in earnest conversation with his secretary. On his return from 
the reception his face wore so satisfied an expression and so pleasant a 
smile that it prompted me to remark that his " interview must have been 
satisfactory." He assured me that it was quite so. This was all the 
information one could expect, under the circumstances, from an astute 
and accomplished diplomat. 

Alter the Russian ambassador came out, we were notified by the 
Master of Ceremonies, an officer of high rank in the Imperial Palace, 
that an audience would then be granted us, and we were escorted to the 
reception-room of the Sultan. He was alone, with the exception of an 
officer of rank, a large, fine-looking man in brilliant uniform, who an- 
nounced us by name and acted as interpreter. The Sultan was standing 
near the center of the room, and as we entered he approached us. He 
was in lull uniform, with a dragoon sword by his side. On being pre- 
sented, instead of making the usual military salute, we made the saluta- 
tion customary for foreign officials who are presented at the Turkish 
court, placing the right hand over the left breast, the left hand by the 
side, and bowing to his Majesty. He received us very cordially, and 
invited us to be seated. Coffee and cigarettes were served, and he led 
the conversation toward military subjects. He manifested great interest 
in military matters, and was thoroughly posted on the equipment of 
armies, the use and effect of modern appliances of war, the use of heavy 
machinery in the movements of the heaviest high-power guns, as well 
as the most intricate mechanism of small arms, and the use and effect 
of smokeless powder and high explosives. His small stature, sharp, 
dark eyes, prominent nose, of the Roman type, full beard, were not 
unlike the marked characteristics that I have noticed in some men of 
our own country. 

In speaking of the war in which he was then engaged. I remarked 



i8 



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andec. =h forces in 



... 

of his armies and army-corps, he s 
•■ Yes : I have made them, and they have 
fulfilled my expectations." 

In regard to the war anc its ?ults. 
he stated that his people did not des 
war : that it had been forced upon them ; 
that their territory had been invaded : 
but that God. being on the side of the 
rio-ht. had e^ven victory to his arm v. He 
mitjht have added that twenty-seven mil- 
lions aeainst two and a half million- 
people : the resources of a strong nation 
against a weak and impoverished one : 
the abundant supplies of all munitio: - 
war of the best rman manufacture, 
from the high-power Krupp fortification 



that the rapidity with which he had 
mobilized a great army of 600.000 
men. armed and equipped them, and 
moved a portion successfully into a 
foreign country, had somewhat sur- 
prised military observers both in the 
United States and in Europe. He 
ted that he was obliged to move 
a portion of his army from Asia, and 
that he could have mobilized and 
moved them with greater rapk 
had the railroads furnished greater 
facilities, or had they been better 
equipped for war purposes. In re- 
sponse to a remark of mine, that he 
must have able generals in command 




-ha, who commanded the Tm 
it with Gr= 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IX TIME OF WAR It) 

eun to the small arms and ammunition, and delicate surgical instruments; 
and the assistance of several very able officers of the German army, had 
also aided in bringing success, if not glory, to the banners of the Star 
and Crescent. 

Constantinople offers excellent opportunities for studying Turkish 
garrison life. There are many barracks in and around the city, a num- 
ber of which I visited. They are all permanent buildings of brick and 
stone, and most ot them very comfortable. One of the most interesting 
of them is on the opposite bank from the city, the great buildings which 
were constructed for the accommodation of the sick and wounded of the 
allied armies during the Crimean war. I was very much impressed in 
my visits to the barracks with the order which prevailed. Everything 
seemed ready for immediate movement. I asked the colonel of one large 
regiment how long a time it would take him to summon his command 
and have it fully equipped and ready to march to the railroad or steam- 
ship for actual service in the field. He looked at his watch, and said 
that he would need just fifteen minutes. One excellent feature. of all the 
barracks is" their accommodation for bathing. _ It is quite as good as, if 
not better than, any place in Europe. In fact, cleanliness is one of the 
cardinal virtues of the Mohammedan religion.' In the principal barracks 
that I visited the accommodations were so ample that at least forty men 
could have enjoyed the luxury of a Turkish bath at the same time. 

As a rule, the uniforms of the men were in good condition. It is 
a uniform well suited for garrison or field service, consisting of a plain 
blue tunic, blue trousers tucked into top-boots, and, in the infantry, the 
familiar red fez. The cavalry wear a cap of sheepskin. The only 
drawback to the costume is that, save the fez, there is nothing national 
about it. The mass of the soldiers would no doubt prefer the short 
jacket, the baggy trousers, and the red sash which they wore before 
reform and reorganization made the Turkish army so largely Chris- 
tian in appearance. 

I was very much interested in watching the troops at mess. Their 



M I 1. 1 T A K Y E UROP E 







Inner view of the fortress of Roumeli Hissar, on the Bosporus, sometimes called the " Castle of Europe. 
Reproduced from " Constantinople," by Professor Edwin A. Grosvenor. 



food is very plain, but wholesome. It consists chiefly of a stew of rice and 
mutton, which is served in a large copper basin, six or eight men sur- 
rounding the dish, and all eating from it at the same time with wooden 
spoons. Tea is served at meals, but no coffee or liquor. This is the only 
army in Europe, I believe, in which no stimulants of any kind are allowed 
the troops. In England the regular daily ration includes a half-gill of 
rum ; in France the soldier is under certain circumstances allowed a 
quarter of a liter of wine, half a liter of beer, half a liter of cider, and the 
sixteenth of a liter of brandy ; in Italy he has a quarter of a liter of wine ; 
in Austria brandy is furnished. The war ration in Austria includes also 
smokintr-tobacco for the men and cigars for the officers. 

There is nothing more interesting about Constantinople than its de- 
fenses. The peculiar location of the city at the mouth of the Black Sea 



WITH THE TURKISH A N D G R E E K ARMIES I N T [ME O F W A R 2 1 

and on the direct route between Europe and Asia has made it for 
centuries the key to the Orient, and has led from times immemorial to 
its fortification. The system of defenses around the city is quite exten- 
sive, and represents the work of every age, from walls such as the 
Romans adopted for the protection of their cities, to modern forts 
bristling with Krupp guns. The city is completely surrounded by walls, 
which are broken at intervals by gates and towers. Of course these for- 
tifications would be of little use to-day if the city were besieged, nor are 
they kept up at all. Houses are built in many places close to them. At 
some points they have been partially torn clown to furnish stone for other 
and more pressing wants. They add, however, immensely to the pic- 
turesqueness of the city, clad as they are with vines and plants, and their 
presence keeps fresh, too, innumerable legends of crime and deeds of 
courage. 

The real defenses of Constantinople are not its walls, but the lines 
of forts which guard the two sea approaches to the city and those which 
ward off invaders by land. 

The fortifications covering the approaches on the landward side are 
twofold. The first is a quarter-circle of forts scattered from a point 
about eight miles west of Constantinople on the Sea of Marmora, around 
to a point on the Bosporus about the same distance north of the town. 
Twenty-five miles west of the city, running north and south across the 
peninsula, is the principal land defense, the Lines of Tchataklja. These 
were built in i S 7 7 , at the time of the war with Russia, but they have been 
greatly strengthened since. 

The Bosporus, connecting the Sea of Marmora with the Black Sea, 
is one of the water approaches to Constantinople. It is about twenty 
miles long, and upon the precipitous banks of both the European and the 
Asiatic shore are placed at intervals the forts which guard the city. 
There are some seventeen of them. Not all are modern ; indeed, there 
are forts on the Bosporus dating back to the fourteenth century. These, 
of course, would be of little use if it were not for the modern works above 



2 2 MILITARY EUROPE 



and below them. The first of the Bosporus forts which one sees on 
leaving Constantinople are perhaps the most interesting, and that on ac- 
count of their location. They stand on opposite sides of the narrowest 
portion of the channel — the point made famous by the crossing of Darius 
and his 700,000 men. Xenophon and his 10,000 are said to have crossed 
here, too, on their return to Europe. 

The other seaward approach to Constantinople is by the Dardanelles 
— a narrow strait thirty-three miles long, connecting the Sea of Marmora 
with the yEgean. I had an excellent opportunity of observing the fortifi- 
cations here, as I went from Constantinople to Greece by steamer. In 
going out we passed close to the sea-walls, the ancient protection of 
Constantinople, and then crossed the Sea of Marmora into the straits. 
For several miles after entering the straits there are no forts, the channel 
being broad and the banks high ; but about ten miles from the mouth 
the stream narrows and there is a sharp bend. Here are the most 
formidable works defending Constantinople, consisting ot ten forts 
on the European side and five on the Asiatic. All of these works 
have been modernized, and mount the heaviest of recent guns. This 
bend in the Dardanelles, like the narrows in the Bosporus, has always 
been a favorite passage for crossing. Xerxes, it is said, led over his 
1,700,000 men here. 

After passing this point of the Dardanelles, the straits widen again, 
and there are no more fortifications until the mouth is reached. Here 
again the banks bristle with guns. When we passed, the Turkish fleet 
was discreetly hovering under their shelter. 

It was the 27th of May when I reached Athens, and the contrast be- 
tween that city and Constantinople was most striking. I had left behind 
me a well-fortified city, the headquarters of a strong military administra- 
tion, evidences of vast resources, both in disciplined men and system of 
supplies, a people proud of victory, a government confident because of 
success. I came to a city exposed on every hand, deficient in military 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF WAR 2^ 




A manoeuver on board the Turkish imperial armored frigate " Mahmoudie." 
Reproduced from " Le Monde Illustre. " 

resources, its government dejected by defeat, its people dissatisfied with 
their rulers and divided in their opinion of what had been done, or what 
course should be pursued in the future. There was no evidence of dis- 
order while I was in Athens, but on every hand there was great depres- 
sion. The people were gathered in groups before the telegraph-offices 
and news-depots, reading the bulletin-boards, or sitting together in the 
streets and parks ; and everywhere they discussed the war. Some of 
them evidently looked for the onward march of the Turkish army, and 
dreaded the horrors which they believed would follow its occupancy 
of the city. Many were defiant, and loudly argued for fighting to the 
bitter end; others were hoping for an interposition of the powers, which, 



24 MILITARY EUROPE 



if it left the country humbled, still would prevent the Turks from appro- 
priating" it altogether. 

What they were suffering was the only possible result to be expected 
from an unaided struggle of their army with such a highly organized 
military power as Turkey. To begin with, Greece has a population of 
only about 2,200,000. The age at which a young Greek becomes liable 
to service is twenty-two — one year later than in Turkey. While in 
Turkey 120,000 men are registered for service every year and fully 
65,000 incorporated into the army, in Greece only about 22,000 are 
liable to service and perhaps 12,000 are incorporated. The actual army 
when the war broke out, that is, the army which was paid by the govern- 
ment, was only about 23,000 men ; but it was believed that the war 
footing was fully 200,000 men — nearly ten per cent, of the population, 
it will be noted. This army was not well disciplined, and was poorly 
equipped and poorly officered. There was only a limited amount of 
ammunition on hand, and as for horses, every squadron was short, and in 
many cases the animals used were too old to be serviceable. 

When war actually broke out, and no European power came to the 
aid of Greece, her weakness rapidly developed. The Turks overwhelmed 
and outmanceuvered the little army, and only stopped their march at the 
interposition of the Czar of Russia. The armistice granted at his request 
had not expired when I reached Athens, and the Greek and Turkish 
armies, which were facing each other near Lamia, the scene of the last 
engagement of the war, were still under its conditions. 

As soon as possible I made arrangements to go to the camp of the 
Greek arm}- — a not difficult journey, as we were able to go up the eastern 
coast by steamer to Santa Marina and thence by rail to Lamia, a dis- 
tance of only eight miles. On arriving, I reported my presence to the 
Crown Prince Constantine, who was in command of the Greek army. 
I found him a very courtly, distinguished-looking officer, twenty-nine 
years of age, tall, and of commanding presence, but somewhat depressed 
on account of the result of his recent campaign. His great misfortunes 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF WAR 25 



had resulted largely from the fact that he had 
been pitted against an overwhelming arm)', and 
that he had not had the experience requisite 
to organize, mobilize, discipline, and command 
troops in battle. This can only be acquired by 
actual experience in war; it cannot be learned 
elsewhere. General Sherman uttered a posi- 
tive truth when he asserted that " the best 
school of war is war." 

When we compare the Crown Prince in his 

preparation for com- 
manding an army 





Constantine, 

the Crown Prince of Greece 

and Commander of the Greek army 

in die recent war with Turkey. 



King George of Greece. 



with Edhem Pasha, 
the leader of the Turks, we have a forcible les- 
son in the value of experience. The name of 
Edhem Pasha was almost unknown when he 
was appointed commander of the Turkish army 
in 1897. Yet he had really made himself a rep- 
utation in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877. He 
was only thirty-five 
years old then, but he 
fought with honor at 
the side of Osman 



Pasha throughout the terrible siege of Plevna ; 
and when at last the city surrendered, he was 
one of the last to leave. He carried away a 
wound received the very day of the capitula- 
tion. Since then he had filled several impor- 
tant positions in Turkey. He was hardened 
to service when he went against the Greeks 
in 1897, and it was not long before his skill 
in strategy attracted the attention of the world. 




Prince George of Greece, 

Commander of the Greek navy in the 

recent war with Turkey. 



2 6 .MILITARY EUROPE 



I was kindly received by the Crown Prince, and was afforded every 
opportunity of seeing the entire Greek army as it then lay camped in 
three grand divisions — two practically in reserve, while the third occu- 
pied the advance line. The last named was in order of battle, with its 
main and advance lines and a line of skirmishers or vedettes. Along the 
front line were posted flags of truce, at intervals of from two to five hun- 
dred yards. Immediately in front of the Greek army lay the Turkish 
army, drawn up in order of battle. In the advance was a strong line 
of sentinels with picket supports and reserves in their order ; and a short 
distance in the rear, their main line of battle. The distance between the 
advance line of the Greek army and the picket-line of the Turkish army, 
I should judge, was about four hundred yards. On the ground occupied 
by the former force and between the lines were scattered the graves of 
those who had fallen on both sides in the last encracjement of the cam- 
paign, which had occurred on this spot, a short distance from the little 
town of Lamia. 

The Turks were apparently as unconcerned and defiant as it is only 
possible for an army to be that has had a series of victories and has 
successfully invaded the enemy's country — in this case a country that 
their people had occupied up to as late as 1832. They were occupying 
a very strong position, and they had every appearance of being capable 
of holding the same. We could distinctly hear their bugle-calls, and see 
the comfortable white tents in which they were sheltered, tents which had 
formerly belonged to the Greek army and had been captured in the 
recent campaign. The poor Greeks were without shelter, and exposed 
to the rain and inclement weather. There was an independence and 
bravado in the appearance of the Turks that indicated their readiness to 
renew the conflict the moment the armistice should be suspended. I 
could not but note the marked change in the circumstances of this 
scene and one that occurred nearly twenty-five hundred years before in 
sight of the ground now occupied by the two armies. We are told that 
when the great Persian army under Xerxes confronted the heroic band 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN T I M E F W A R 2 J 



under Leonidas, the Spartans laid down their spears and shields, and 
moved out in front of their line, and went through their gymnastic 
exercises to keep their joints supple, and decorated their long hair as if 
preparing for a festival, thus taunting and defying their enemies to 
combat. Now the conditions were entirely reversed and the invaders 
impatient to renew hostilities. 

The officers of the Greek army seemed to me an intelligent, patriotic 
body of men ; but they were, naturally, much depressed at the result of 
the campaign. Their hatred 
of the Turks was as intense as 
their pride of and love for their 
own country. One accom- 
plished officer, a colonel in 
command of the advance divi- 
sion of the Greek army, rode 
over the ground with us and 
along the line of the troops. 
On returning to his headquar- 
ters to take leave of him I in- 
formed him that I would shortly 
return to my own land, and 
that I hoped sometime to have 
a visit from him at Washing- 
ton. He replied: "When you 
get far away and back to your 

own country, I hope you will have a kind memory for poor Greece." 
He said this with such an expression of grief and sentiment that I was 
deeply impressed. 

The soldiers had endured their severe campaign and the disasters 
which had befallen their cause with fortitude, but were greatly dis- 
heartened, yet full of hope that something might occur to end hostilities. 
While there was no outward appearance of a want of confidence or dis- 




General Miles on the Greek picket-line, May 29, 1S97. 



MILITARY EUROPE 



affection, there was gloom in the general tone, manner, and appearance 
of the troops. I have seen the same condition of affairs in our own army 
after some serious disaster. The humiliation that follows defeat and retreat 
is pictured upon the faces alike of the officers and men of every army. 

There was a great want of proper equipment and supplies. Doubt- 
less, whatever they may have had, had been seriously affected by disasters 
in battle and the rapidity of the retreat of the army. Much of the dis-* 
comfort resulted from the absence of proper shelter and from insufficient 
food. The last has a very demoralizing influence upon any body of 
troops. The sad condition of the Greek army was made more melan- 
choly by the presence of great numbers of refugees, wandering about 
from place to place, homeless and destitute. It was estimated that in and 
around the army there were 50,000 of these people, who had abandoned 
their homes, carrying away only what little substance and clothing they 
could transport upon their backs, in carts, and upon a few pack-ani- 
mals. Those that were best circumstanced had a few domestic animals 
that they were driving, seeking any place of shelter for rest and refuge. 
I have never seen a more desolate class of people or one which excited 
more sympathy. 

The humanitarians were active and beneficent in their efforts to 
relieve the suffering of the unfortunate Greeks, especially of the wounded, 
and many men and women were engaged in this humane enterprise. 
The Society of the Red Cross was conspicuous in this work, and there 
were a number of American representatives. One especially worthy of 
note, whom I met later, was Mrs. Maud Howe Elliott, daughter of Julia 
Ward Howe, the author of the "Battle-Hymn of the Republic," of 
whose history and record we are justly proud. Mrs. Elliott was actively 
interested and engaged in correspondence for the relief of the unfortunate 
Greeks. 

Before leaving the Greek army, I had opportunity to ride over the 
historic ground of the Pass of Thermopylae, where the Spartans so hero- 
ically fought and died. It is a singular formation: the high, precipitous 



WITH THE TURKISH AND GREEK ARMIES IN TIME OF WAR 29 

mountains come close to the sea, leaving a narrow strip of land between 
impassable heights and the waters of the Bay of Lamia. The two thou- 
sand years that have elapsed since Leonidas held the pass have made a 
marked change in the topography of the place. The waters have re- 




Kastraki, a village on the Greek frontier, in Thessaly, — a point of interest in the 

recent war. 



ceded, leaving the belt of table-land wider than it was at that eventful 
time ; but it is easy to see where they were in former times, and that the 
very narrow belt of land could have been defended by a few hundred 
heroic, stalwart men against any body of assailants. We spent an entire 
afternoon riding around the base of the mountain near the Pass of Ther- 
mopylae and following the trail that was evidently taken by a portion of 
Xerxes' army led by the Trachinian. This force, circumventing the 
position held by the Spartans, succeeded in gaining their line of retreat, 
and so caused the death of the heroic band. So rugged are these moun- 
tains that there are only a few narrow trails by which they can be 



M I L I T A R Y E U R O P E 



crossed, a small force well placed being capable of defending' them 
against any number of assailants. 

This visit to the Pass of Thermopylae, recalling, as it did, one of the 
most thrilling episodes in the history of Greece, rather intensified than 
otherwise the painful impression of modern Greece which my observa- 
tions in Athens and at the front had produced. I came away from the 
country feeling that the glory of Greece had departed, that she is living 
to-day on the past. 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 

AS SEEN AT THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE, JUNE, 1897 

A \ /HEN I left the United States early in May, 1897, I had no antici- 
V V pation of witnessing the Jubilee in honor of the sixtieth anniversary 
of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne of Great Britain. While at 
Constantinople, however, I received orders from Washington to represent 
our country at that great ceremony. As soon as I had ended my obser- 
vations of the Turkish and Greek armies, I started for London, arriving 
there on June 15th. As the military representatives of our country, I 
and my aide-de-camp, Captain Marion O. Maus, were guests of the 
British government; and quarters were assigned us in the Buckingham 
Palace Hotel, across the street from Buckingham Palace, a place which 
had been taken for the time by the government for the purpose of enter- 
taining foreign guests. 

The vast concourse of people who were to take part in the celebra- 
tion had already commenced to assemble. All the principal governments 
of the world had been invited to send representatives, who were to be for 
ten days the guests of the British government. The different colonies 
of Great Britain in every quarter of the globe had also been invited to 
send bodies of troops or citizens. The result was that the streets of 
London were thronged by the most picturesque and cosmopolitan assem 
blage that ever was gathered in any city of the earth. Not even the 
triumphal march of a Roman emperor could have equaled it. Among the 



MILITARY E V R O P E 




Jubilee guests were representatives 
from four countries of Asia not under 
English rule — Corea, Japan, China, 
and Siam ; from two countries of 
Africa — Liberia and Egypt ; and 
seven ot South America — Argentine 
Republic, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Para-, 
guay, Peru, and Uruguay. The coun- 
triesof Europe sent theircrown princes, 
grand dukes, distinguished generals 
and admirals, hereditary princes, and 
pashas. All of these personages were 
attended by suites, so that the number 
of Jubilee guests, representing all cor- 



Field-Marshal Viscount Lord Wolseley, 
Commander-in-chief of the British Army. 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic 
Company. 



ners of the earth, was very great. Of - 
course they wore the costumes peculiar 
to their countries — a fact which con- 
tributed no little to the brilliancy of 
London. The contrasts one saw fre- 
quently in the throngs about Bucking- 
ham Palace, in Hyde Park, and along 
Piccadilly were most striking. 

The ceremonies of the Diamond 
Jubilee began on June 20th, the real 
accession day, that is, the sixtieth an- 
niversary of the Queen's coronation. 
As it fell on Sunday, it was made a 
day of national thanksgiving, special 




Lord Roberts ("Roberts of Kandahar "), 
Commander of the British forces in Ireland. 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic 
Company. 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 35 

services being held all over the kingdom. For ten days following June 
20th the celebration continued. The most brilliant of the functions dur- 
ing this period were the reception by the Queen to representatives of 
foreign governments, held at Buckingham Palace on June 21st, the Jubi- 
lee procession on June 22d, the review of the colonial troops on June 23d, 
the gala night at the opera, the lord mayor's lunch on June 25th, the great 
naval review on June 26th, and on July 1st the review of British troops 
at Aldershot. 

The representatives of the United States, the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, 
Admiral Miller, U. S. N., with his aide, Commander Emory, and myself, 
with my aide, Captain Maus, were presented to her Majesty at the 
reception held at Buckingham Palace on the evening of June 21st. 
On being presented to the Queen, I was graciously received, and the 
Prince of Wales, who stood near her Majesty, came forward and greeted 
me cordially, referring to his visit to our country many years ago. I had 
not seen the Prince since, as a young man, he reviewed the troops on 
Boston Common, Massachusetts, in 1859. He seemed to recall his visit 
to our country, and the cordial manner in which he was received and 
entertained by our people, with great pleasure. 

The most interesting feature of the reception was the presentation 
of the colonial premiers and the Indian princes. Eleven of the premiers 
had accepted the invitation of her Majesty's government to join in the 
Jubilee celebration. They were a body of as fine and sturdy-looking 
men as one often sees. Several of them were natives of the colonies 
at the head of which they stood, though the greater number were born 
in England and had removed in youth to the colonies. They had risen 
to their positions by a variety of roads. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, of Canada; 
Sir William Whiteway, of Newfoundland ; the Rt. Hon. George Houston 
Reid, of New South- Wales, and the Rt. Hon. Charles Cameron Kingston, 
of South Australia, entered politics by way of the bar. The Premier 
of Queensland, Sir Hugh Muir Nelson, was for thirty years a farmer on 
a large scale before he turned his attention to politics. Sir Edward 



36 MILITARY EUROPE 



Braddon, Premier of Tasmania, did not go to that country until 1878, and 
that after thirty years of exciting life in India, where he was engaged in 
the construction of the East India Railway, serving against the rebel 
sepoys, winning a Mutiny medal, and later holding other high positions 
in the Indian service. Sir John Forrest, of Western Australia, has led a 
particularly active life. Born in that colony when it was still only a con- 
vict station, he became, while yet a boy, interested in exploration. When 
only twenty-three years old he headed an expedition to search for the 
remains of an explorer lost in the wilds of Australia. He proved himself 
so skilful in this undertaking that he was asked to conduct other expedi- 
tions into unknown portions of the country. He became surveyor-gen- 
eral of the colony, and later commissioner of crown lands. His services 
were of the greatest value in opening the island, and he was liberally 
rewarded for them by the government. When, in 1890, Western Australia 
was given a constitution, Forrest was by general consent called to be 
premier, a position he has held ever since. 

The loyalty and devotion of the colonies to the British government 
were amply proved by the presence at the Jubilee of these men. Indeed, 
in one case, the desire that the colony be represented at the Jubilee was 
so strong that political action was temporarily suspended in order that 
the premier might feel free to go. This was in Victoria. Sir George 
Turner, of Victoria, felt, when he received his invitation to the Jubilee, 
that he could not leave because Parliament meets there in June. The 
opposition, however, promised to suspend hostilities during his absence 
if he would accept. 

The presentation to the Queen of the Indian princes was an especially 
interesting incident. They were usually tall, slender, erect men, as active 
and supple as panthers, and quite military in appearance. They wore 
the most gorgeous uniforms, glistening with rare and brilliant jewels. As 
they bowed their heads almost to the floor and presented their swords in 
token of loyalty to their acknowledged sovereign, Victoria graciously 
greeted them with a few words of recognition, spoken in their own Ian- 




The Prince of Wales, as he appeared in the Jubilee procession. 

From copyrighted photograph by Gregory & Co., London. 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 39 

guage, and, placing her hand upon the hilts of their swords as the)- were 
presented one after the other, indicated her acceptance of their assurances 
of devotion and loyalty in a most gracious manner. 

Several of the princes spoke excellent English, and one of them, Sir 
Bhagvat Sinh Jee, was a graduate of Edinburgh University and had re- 
ceived honors from other English institutions of learning'. The most 
popular man among them seemed to be the Maharaja Pertab Sing, of 
fodhpur. He is prime minister and regent of a state as large as Scot- 
land, with a population of 2,000,000. He is considered one of the most 
loyal and able of the native princes, and is a great favorite with the 
English authorities in India. He is said to be a superb horseman, and is 
fond of all kinds of sports. Lord Roberts, in his " Forty-one Years in 
India," tells a very good story of the bravery of the maharaja. In 1893, 
before leaving India, Lord Roberts visited Jodhpur, and was given oppor- 
tunity there to indulge himself in what he considers the chief of sports — 
pig-sticking. 

"I had wounded a fine boar," writes Lord Roberts, "and on his 
making for some rocky ground where I could hardly have followed him on 
horseback, I shouted to Sir Pertab to get between him and the rocks and 
turn him in my direction. The maharaja promptly responded, but just 
as he came face to face with the boar, his horse put his foot into a hole and 
fell. The infuriated animal rushed on the fallen rider, and, before the latter 
could extricate himself, gave him a severe wound in the leg with his for- 
midable tushes. On croing to his assistance, I found Sir Pertab bleeding 
profusely, but standing erect, facing the boar, and holding the creature 
(which was upright on its hind legs) at arm's length by its mouth. The 
spear, without the impetus given by the horse at full speed, is not a very 
effective weapon against the tough hide of a boar's back, and on realizing 
that mine did not make much impression, Pertab Sing, letting go his hold 
of the boar's mouth, quickly seized his hind legs, and turned him over 
on his back, crying: ' Maro, sahib, maro ! ' ('Strike, sir, strike!') which 
I instantly did, and killed him. Any one who is able to realize the 



40 M 1 L I T A R V EUR O P E 



strength and weight of a wild boar will appreciate the pluck and presence 
of mind of Sir Pertab Sing in this performance. Fortunately my wife and 
daughter, who had been following the pig-stickers in a light cart, were 
close at hand, and we were able to drive my friend home at once. The 
wound was found to be rather a bad one, but it did not prevent Sir Pertab 
from attending some tent-pegging and other amusements in the after- 
noon, though he had to be carried to the scene." 

When we consider that most of the vast territory which these men at 
the Queen's reception represented has been added to the British Empire 
since she ascended the throne, we begin to understand why the English 
glory in her reign. In 1837, when Victoria was crowned, the entire white 
colonial population was only 1,250,000. To-day it is over 10,000,000. 
At that time India was not yet a direct dependency of the crown, but was 
still under the rule of the East India Company. Hong-Kong had not 
been added as a military outpost, nor was nearly so large a part of the 
Malay Peninsula under British control. In all Australasia, in 1837, there 
were only about 100,000 British colonists, — scattered in Tasmania, New 
Zealand, and South Australia, — and most of these were supposed to be 
lelons and convicts. The interior of Australia was entirely unexplored; 
its resources were unknown, its future undreamed. To-day Australasia 
is made up of seven rich provinces, and has a population of 4.000,000, as 
loyal, intelligent, and progressive British subjects as exist on the globe. 
In South Africa, sixty years ago, the English domain was confined to the 
southern point of the continent ; to-day it extends, with only one impor- 
tant break, from the Cape to the sources of the Nile. When Victoria 
ascended the throne, the British in North America were nearly all 
gathered in Ontario and Quebec, and the Hudson Bay Company occu- 
pied all the central and western provinces of what is now known as the 
Canadian Dominion. British Columbia was an unknown waste, only to 
be reached by a terrible sea-voyage around Cape Horn. Yet to-day the 
Imperial Government is in force over all this vast territory. London is 
now only ten days from Vancouver, and every year is seeing the devel- 




The Jubilee procession in King William Street. 

Heading the procession is the Queen's carriage, followed by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and officers of the 

Life Guards. 

From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



43 



opment of new resources in a territory once believed to be useless save 
as a fur-producing country. 

Although the presentation of the foreign representatives to the Queen 
suggested the territorial extent of the empire, it was from the Jubilee 




Colonial premiers in attendance at the Queen's Jubilee and the heads of the 
Colonial Office. 

The persons shown in the group are : I. Sir John Bramston, Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the 
Colonies ; 2. Mr. E. Wingfield, Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies ; 3. Sir H. M. Nel- 
son, Premier of Queensland ; 4. Mr. J, Anderson, an under-secreiary in the Colonial Office^ 5. Mr C. 
C. Kingston, Premier of South Australia; 6. The Earl of Selborne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of 
State for the Colonies: 7. Sir J. Forrest, Premier of Western Australia; 8. Mr. H. Escombe, Premier of 
Natal; p. Mr. R.J. Seddon, Premier of New Zealand ; 10. Sir E. N. C. Brnddon. Premier of Tasmania ; 
n. Sir W Laurier, Premier of Canada; 12. Sir G. Turner, Premier of Victoria; 13. The Rt. Hon. 
Joseph k Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies; 14. Mr.G. H. Reid, Premier of New South Wales ; 
15. Sir W. V. Whiteway, Premier of Newfoundland; 16. birj. Gordon Sprigg, Premier of Cape Colony. 

From copyrighted photograph by Elliott &: Fry, London. 

procession, on June 2 2(1, that I received my deepest impression of the 
vastness, the variety, and the power of the English domain. The Jubilee 
procession was a military display of wonderful splendor and impressive- 
ness. In it were represented not only all the varied military forces ot 
the British Islands, but those of at least twenty-five of the colonics. 



44 



MILITARY EUROPE 



These colonial troops came from the most distant points of the empire — 
from Canada, New South Wales, Hong-Kong, Cape Colony, Jamaica. 
Headed by Lord Roberts, they formed the first portion of the proces- 
sion, of which the line of progress was from Buckingham Palace over 
a great circle described through the center of London. 




Types of soldiers in the British army. 

Starting at the left the types shown are : Sikh infantryman, New South Wales hussar, Manitoba dragoon; 
West Indian infantryman, Victoria mounted rifleman, New South Wales lancer, member of the Hong-Kong 
police, and member of the North Borneo police. 

From copyrighted photograph by Elliott & Fry, London. 

The Canadians were at the front of the colonials — a band of mounted 
troops from the Royal Dragoons, that form part of the permanent corps 
maintained in the dominion. Canada has a large and well-organized 
militia corps, and this now forms practically her only defense, the im- 
perial troops which formerly guarded the country having been reduced to 
about 2000 men, at the fortress of Halifax. The whole male population 
between eighteen and sixty may be called upon to serve in one or 
another class of this militia force. About 45,000 men are drilled for 
sixteen days each year in what is known as the reserve militia, while the 




Arrival of the Queen's carriage at St. Paul's. 
From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



47 



active militia, numbering about 35,000, serves three years. The perma- 
nent corps, represented at the Jubilee, is small, but the men are of a fine, 
hardy type. Toward the end of the colonial troops in the procession was 
another band of Canadians that interested me much- — -the mounted 




A group of colonial officers in attendance .-it the Queen's Jubilee. 
From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 

police, who have for many years done such good work in keeping order 
in British Columbia, and, recently, in protecting and aiding the gold- 
miners of the Klondike. 

There were several bands of troops from the provinces of Australasia 
in the colonial contingent. They attracted great attention, perhaps as 
much by the contrast between their plain, serviceable uniforms and the 
dazzling ones of other British soldiers in the town, as by their fine bearing 
and excellent horsemanship. These uniforms were, as a rule, light brown 
or drab in color, simply made, with little or no ornamentation. High 



48 MILITARY EUROPE 



boots, or leggings, were worn, and a broad-brimmed, soft hat of the same 
color as the uniform, turned up on the side. In some cases feathers were 
fastened to the side of the hat, which was turned up. There was a dash 
of the Texan ranger or frontiersman about the uniform, which harmo- 
nized perfectly with the stalwart forms and martial bearing of the men 
themselves. 

The armies which these fine troops represented are small, but in every 
way sufficient. Thus in New South Wales the whole defense force, in- 
cluding the navy, is less than 7500 men ; in New Zealand it is but little 
larger ; in South Australia it is less than 2000 men. All of the Canadian 
and Australasian troops were fine, well-developed men — larger and more 
stalwart than the average English soldier. No doubt this is the result 
of the freer life in the colonies. 

Many of the finest regiments in the procession were not Englishmen 
at all, however, nor even white men. They were the black, yellow, or 
bronzed representatives of the various native troops which help in keep- 
ing order and in defending the dependencies of the nation. They were 
splendid illustrations of the- way in which England makes men from the 
indolent and superstitious races of the four quarters of the globe. Per- 
haps of these colored soldiers the ones of which her Majesty had most 
reason to be proud were those forming the contingent from the imperial 
service troops of India. The arm}- in India is made up of European and 
native troops, the former numbering about 75,000, the latter 145,000 men. 
Before the Mutiny, the European force was only 40,000, while the native 
was 215,000. Ten years ago, in 1887, on the occasion of the Queen's 
Jubilee, the Indian princes offered a large body of men to her Majesty for 
imperial defense. Since that time these troops, which at the start were 
undisciplined and more or less disaffected, have become the finest in India. 
The native princes maintain them at their own expense, and take the 
greatest pride in their efficiency and equipment. There were no more 
distinguished-looking soldiers in the procession than the members of this 
contingent. Their uniforms were handsome. The only detail in which 




Indian native cavalry Guard of Honor. 
From photograph by Gregory & Co., London: by permission of the publishers of " The Navy ami Army Illustrated.' 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY UF ENGLAND 



they differed radically from European uniforms was the head-gear ; the 
men all wore turbans of gay colors, which were most effective above their 
bronzed faces. 

A great variety of native troops from the smaller dependencies were 
represented. Among them the Cypriote Zaphites were conspicuous by 
a half-Turkish costume which 



was not at all popular with the 
crowd, who seemed to believe 
that the men must be Turks. 
The fez was worn also by some 
of the Africans, but there was 
no possibility of mistaking 
them for Turks. In the bands 
of native troops one of the 
most conspicuous was the 
Hong-Kong police. They 
wore a peculiar head-gear, not 
unlike a shallow basket turned 
upside down, and a thoroughly 
Chinese costume. There were 
numerous bands of native po- 
lice, for in the tropical regions 
in Africa and Asia it is found 
difficult to secure white men 
for the service. The results 
in training the natives have 
been good, it is claimed : in 
North Borneo the English 
have even succeeded in mak- 
ing a good force of the Dy- 

aks, the aborigines of the island. There were men of the North 
Borneo police sent to London who had been originally savages of the 




The Hon. Maurice Gifford and Captain Ames, 
favorites in the Jubilee procession. 

From copyrighted photograph by Gregory & Co., London. 



5 2 



MILITARY EUROPE 



purest type, even to the degree of enjoying head-hunting ; one of them 
was said to have taken in his day some thirteen heads as proofs of his 
courage. They looked tame enough as they appeared in London, clad in 
brown-holland uniforms, with bright-red caps, and going through their 
evolutions with exactness and ease. 

The reception given the visiting troops by the crowd was very 
hearty, though they saved their warmest cheering for certain celebrities 




Soldiers of the empire. 
From photograph by Gregory & Co., London ; by permission of the publishers of " The Navy and Army Illustrated." 

in the procession. Unquestionably it was the Queen who received the 
most affectionate welcome from the populace. No one could hear the 
greetings she received without realizing something of the love the Eng- 
lish people have for her. The whole line of march was an intense, en- 
thusiastic demonstration of devotion for the sovereign. Many times 
the Queen was moved to tears by the signs of loyal affection. But the 
English people owe the Queen all the affection they give. She has been 
rightly said to be " the most queenly woman and most womanly queen " 




Jubilee manceuvers at AMershot. 
From copyrighted photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company. 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 55 



that has graced a home and throne ; and her reign, considering the his- 
tory of the past sixty years, — the important political events that have 
occurred, the progress made by the whole world, the large part that 
Great Britain has played in that progress, and the influence its sov- 
ereign has constantly exercised upon the affairs of the world, — is the 
most remarkable in the history of an)' country. 

After the Queen, there is no doubt that the Princess of Wales is the 
most popular woman in England. I saw many signs of this during Jubilee 
week. One of the most striking was at the lord mayor's luncheon on 
June 25th. The toasts customary on such occasions — to the Queen, the 
royal family, the royal guests — had been given and replied to, when the 
lord mayor rose and said that he wanted to forget precedent this time 
and propose a toast to that princess whom all England loved and honored 
— the Princess of Wales. The toast was received with the warmest ap- 
probation by all present. The evening alter the Jubilee procession came 
a state performance at the opera at Covent Garden, which was attended 
by almost ever)- royal personage who had taken part in the Jubilee cele- 
bration, except her Majesty, as well as by all t lit- colonial premiers and 
foreign ambassadors. The marked attention and the respect paid to the 
Princess of Wales on this occasion were noticeable to all present. 

It is a combination of beauty, good taste, conscientiousness, and good- 
ness that makes the Princess so much beloved of Englishwomen. Her 
bearing is queenly in its dignity — the grace of her figure and gracious- 
ness of her manner give her all the charm of a youthful princess; no 
woman was ever more conscientious in the discharge of the duties of her 
position, ami her goodness to the poor and the suffering is endless. 
For example, her chief contribution to the Jubilee was inaugurating a 
dinner to 300,000 of the poor of London. Almost the entire day before 
the state- performance at the opera she had spent in visiting buildings in 
the East End of the city where these dinners were being served. 

Among the officers in the procession there were several evident favor- 
ites. There was Captain Ames, of the Second Life Guards, who is the 



56 MILITARY EUROPE 



tallest officer in the British army, and rode at the head of the royal pro- 
cession. He was put there evidently as the British ideal of a soldier, and 
was warmly applauded. Maurice Gifford, of the Rhodesian Horse, was 
another favorite; but here it was the man's record which touched the 
crowd. Gifford lost an arm in the late war with the Matabeles, and the 
empty sleeve pinned to his heart awakened murmurs of sympathy and 
admiration wherever he went. 

'I here was a great deal of applause for Lord Wolseley, the Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the British Army. He is a fine type of the English 
soldier, and his record is one of distinction. Lord Wolseley is now a man 
about sixty live years of age. He has served in many exciting cam- 
paigns — in Burma, in the Crimea, at Lucknow, and in China; he 
suppressed the Manitoba rebellion in 1 S 6 7 ; he was the commander of the 
forces in the Ashantee war of 1873, and later in Cape Colon) 1 and the 
Transvaal. 1 lis last campaign was in Egypt, where he won the victory 
of Tel-el-Kebir. For this lu- was gazetted a full general and made a 
peer. He succeeded the Duke of Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief of 
the British Army in 1895. ■ 

Lord Roberts appeared to hold a high place in the affections of the 
people, and as he rode along cries of " Bobs," the Britisher's popular 
name for him, were heard on every side. Lord Roberts is about Lord 
Wolseley's age. For fortyone years he served almost continuously in 
India, gradually working his way to the rank of Commander-in-Chief 
of the Indian Army, one of the highest positions England gives to her 
military men. Lord Roberts left India in 1893, and is now in command 
of the British forces in Ireland. His career in the East was full of 
dramatic deeds. He first went into service there in 185 1, joining his 
lather, General Sir Abraham Roberts. The Mutiny began soon after 
young Roberts reached the army, and he took an active part in the whole 
terrible tragedy. He was an officer in the force which for weeks besieged 
Delhi, and he was present in the awful final storming of the city. As 
soon as Delhi had fallen, Roberts joined the column which went to the 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



57 



relief of Lucknow, where he was one of the first to enter the city. He 
served in several subsequent engagements of the Mutiny. The cam- 
paigns which brought him greatest glory were those in 1878-80 against 
the Afghans. It was there that for the first time he was given command 
of a field force. He made the memorable advance on Kabul, an achieve- 




1 Galatea.' 



'Australia." 



First-class battle-ships. 



Ships in line at the Jubilee review of the British navy. 
From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 



ment which he himself considers greater than the famous march from 
Kabul to Kandahar, for which the English give him particular honor, 
even the title of " Roberts of Kandahar." In his "Forty-one Years in 
India," Lord Roberts says that his only explanation for the fact that 
the world regards the latter exploit as greater than the first is the 
glamour of romance thrown around the Kandahar expedition by the tact 



58 



MILITARY EUROPE 



that an arm)- of 10,000 men were lost to view for nearly a month. While 
the number of victories to his credit in the Eastern wars is very large, he 
has accomplished with the army results which are quite as much to his 
credit. It is he who has carried out largely the scheme of frontier 
defense by which England hopes to protect her Indian boundaries against 
Russian aggression. He did in his time, too, a great deal to improve 




Type of the English battle-ship in the Jubilee review — the " Prince George." 

Displacement, 15,140 tons. Length, 390 feet. Beam, 75 feet. Speed, 18.2 knots. Armor — rbelt, 9 inches; deck, 4 inches: 
barbettes, 18 inches; turrets, 14 inches. Guns — four 12-inch (42-ton), twelve 6-inch rapid-fire, sixteen 12-ponnders, twelve 
3-pounders, eight mitrailleuse. Torpedo-tubes, 5. 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 

the condition of all the soldiers in India, and to work the native popu- 
lation into effective troops. 

To one who rode in the Jubilee procession it was the crowd of spec- 
tators, not only lining the sidewalks but filling every window and root, 
which was the wonder of the day. It was estimated that five million 
people witnessed the procession. They were as orderly, quiet, and good- 
natured as any I ever saw assembled. In fact, I did not observe a single 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



59 



case of disorder or an arrest made by the police. When we realize that 
this great mass of humanity finds occupation in London, supporting- itself 
in fairly prosperous condition, being apparently well clad and well housed, 
we realize what a great center of commerce the city is. Yet this great 
manufacturing community, which has absorbed cheap labor from the 
masses of other European countries, does not present the best type of the 







The cruiser " Brooklyn," the representative of the United States at the Jubilee naval review. 

Displacement, 9215 tons. Length, 400 feet. Beam, 64 feet. Speed, 21 knots. Armor — belt, 3 inches; deck, 3 to 6 inches: 
barbettes. 8 inches; turrets, $\< inches. Guns — main battery: eight 8-inch, twelve 5-inch rapid-fire; secondary battery: twelve 
6-polinders, four i-pounders, four Colts, two field-guns. Torpedo-tubes, 4. 

From copyrighted photograph by West o: Son, Southsea, England. 

English people. The crowd in London on Jubilee day appeared to me, as 
a class, short of stature, lacking in appearance as compared with the stal- 
wart soldiers and sturdy yeomanry that we find in the English, Irish, and 
Scotch country districts. 

Along the entire line of march our national colors mingled with the 
bright colors of other nations. The Stars and Stripes waved in every 



6o M I L I T A K V E U R O P E 



block, and there was no more hearty cheering' than that which came from 
the tens of thousands of American citizens as an expression of their re- 
spect for the gracious sovereign, and as a token of their appreciation of 
the fact that throughout her long reign peace and friendship have existed 
between our two nations. Friendly sentiments were heard from Ameri- 
cans on every hand. Possibly the best expression of the general feeling 
is found in the letter sent by President McKinley to her Majesty : 

To Her Majesty, Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India. 

Great and Good Friend: In the name and behalf of the people of the United States, 
I present their sincere felicitations upon the sixtieth anniversary of Your Majesty's accession 
to the crown of Great Britain. 

I express the sentiments of my fellow-citizens in wishing for your people the prolongation 
of a reign illustrious and marked by advance in science, arts, and popular well-being. 

On behalf of my countrymen, I wish particularly to recognize your friendship for the 
United States, and your love of peace, exemplified upon important occasions. 

It is pleasing to acknowledge the debt of gratitude and respect due to your personal vir- 
tues. May your life be prolonged and peace, honor and prosperity bless the people over 
whom you have been called to rule. May liberty flourish throughout your empire, under just 
and equal laws and your government continue strong in the affections of all who live 
under it. 

And I pray God to have Your Majesty in His holy keeping. 
Done at Washington, this 28th day of May, a. d. 1897. 

Your Good Friend, 
By the President: Wm. McKinley. 

John Sherman, 
Secretary of State. 

The Jubilee ceremonies offered an especially fine opportunity for 
studying the British army, bully 50,000 men were gathered in London 
for the procession, and they were conspicuous at every ceremony of the 
ten days' celebration which followed. These men all belonged to English, 
Irish, and Scotch regiments of the regular army, so that their concentra- 
tion in London was a comparatively simple matter. England keeps at 
home about 100,000 soldiers at present, of which number some 25,000 
form the Irish army. About 5000 men are usually in Egypt, and other 
colonies absorb some 33,000 more. This makes up the regular British 
army, exclusive of the 75,000 troops in the Indian service. The force at 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



61 



home is stationed in military districts in England, Ireland, Scotland, 
Wales, and the Channel Islands. 

Men go into the army by voluntary enlistment, but once there, they 
must stay for a full term of service, unless they are willing to buy a dis- 
charge. This costs ninety dollars, and in case of men who have served 
over three months it is easy to secure, save in special instances. There 




The cruiser " Amira! Pothuan," the representative of France at the Jubilee naval review. 

Displacement, 5365 tons. Length. 360 feet. Beam, 49 feet. Speed, 19.2 knots. Armor — belt, 2.3 inches; deck, 3.3 inches; 
turrets, 7 inches. Guns — two 7.5-inch, ten 5.5-inch rapid-fire, ten 1.8-inch rapid-fire, eight 1.4-inch. Torpedo-tubes, 5. 

From copyrighted photograph by West 6; Son, Southsea, England. 

are two terms of service — one of twelve years with the colors and with 
no reserve afterward, and one of seven years with the army and five with 
the reserve. Recruits are not difficult to secure, from 35,000 to 40,000 
being approved yearly for both the regular army and the militia. The 
regular army was finely represented in the Jubilee by picked men from the 
Life and Dragoon Guards and from the Royal Artillery and Engineers. 
The most imposing military display, however, was the 40,000 soldiers 



b2 



MILITARY EUROPE 



who lined both sides of the route of the procession — a distance of seven 
miles. They were marched into line by nine o'clock of Jubilee day, and 
remained in place until the procession had ended. At certain points 
where the crowd was very great, as about Trafalgar Square and around 
St. Paul's, the lines were doubled. The greater number of the troops be- 




The cruiser " Rossia," the representative of Russia at the Jubilee naval review. 

Displacement, 12,195 tons. Length. 475 feet. Beam, 86 feet. Speed. 22 knots. Armor — belt. 9.8 inches; deck, 3 inches. 
Guns — four 8-inch, sixteen 5.9-inch, six 4.7-inch rapid-fire, twenty-six 1.8-inch and 1.4-inch. Torpedo-tubes, 5. 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 



longed to the army, although they were varied by detachments from the 
naval brigade. The blue-jackets were one of the smartest bodies ot men 
out, and received great attention from the crowd, to whom evidently they 
were not nearly so familiar as the red-jackets. 

Besides her regular army, Great Britain has a reserve force of militia 
volunteers and yeoman cavalry sufficient, in time of need, to bring her 
force up to something like 725,000 men, including the white troops of 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 63 

India. The reserve troops were represented at the Jubilee by fine 
regiments from various parts of the British Islands. 

The annual cost of this army is, of course, great. In 1896-97 it 
amounted to some $90,000,000. This appropriation covered not only 
the cost of the regular troops, but of the reserve force ; it included also 




The battle-ship " Worth," the representative of Germany at the Jubilee naval review. 

Displacement. 10,200 tons. Length, 380 feet. Beam, 68 feet. Speed, 17 = knots Armor— belt, 15.7 inches; deck, 3 inches; 
turrets, n. 8 inches. Guns — six 11-inch, six 4.1-inch rapid-fire, eight 3.4-inch, two small calibre, ten mitrailleuse. Torpedo-tubes, 7. 

From copyrighted photograph by West 8: Son, Southsea, England. 

military education, gratuities, pensions, rewards — everything, in short, 
pertaining to the army. 

Of the general efficiency of the training of the troops I had an excel- 
lent opportunity to judge at a review given on July ist in the presence 
of the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Crown Prince 
and Princess of Italy, the Duke and Duchess of York, Lord Wolseley, 
and other high officials of the British and other governments. This re- 
view was held at Aldershot, a small town about fortv miles southwest 



64 MILITARY EUROPE 

of London, where there are a permanent camp and barracks. On account 
of its proximity to London, Aldershot is a favorite point for reviews and 
manoeuvers. 

Fortunately, July rst was a bright, beautiful day. The field where 
the review took place was not large, but it was covered with a strong, 
green English turf, and, with the forests and rolling hills in the back- 
ground, made a perfect place for a display of troops. About 28,000 men 
assembled for the review, of whom fully 1000 were colonials. The scene 
was one of indescribable brilliancy, because of the great variety of uni- 
forms and the splendid equipment and discipline of the troops. I was 
very much impressed by the strong colors of the British uniform, now that 
I saw them massed. On a single soldier one does not notice them par- 
ticularly ; but in large bodies the black, green, scarlet, and blue are won- 
derfully bright and effective. To the beauty of the clay and brilliancy of 
the troops was added the best and most inspiring music I heard in 
Europe. The pipes of the Highlanders and the splendid military bands 
of the English and Irish regiments were equal to any I have ever heard. 
Mingled with the national airs, such as " British Grenadiers," the notes 
of some of Sousa's best marches greeted my ears again as they had done 
in Constantinople. 

The colonials were given the place of honor in the review, that is, 
they were the first to march before her Majesty. As on the day of the 
Jubilee procession, they were commanded by Lord Roberts. They formed 
a picturesque sight as they passed rapidly across the field at Aldershot 
and wheeled into position at the left of her Majesty. As soon as they 
had taken their places, the regular troops marched past in divisions. 
They were then massed and moved past in line of brigades; then the 
cavalry and artillery charged past at a gallop ; and at the close, the entire 
army of 28,000 men formed on the opposite side of the field from her 
Majesty's carriage, and moved in one solid body across the field, and 
halted in perfect line within a hundred yards of the carriage. All the 
bands then struck up " God Save the Queen," and the entire body 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



65 



shouted, " Long live Victoria ! " Thousands manifested their enthusiasm 
by placing their hats upon their bayonets and swords and waving them in 
the air, making it one of the most remarkable scenes I have ever wit- 
nessed, and one of the greatest demonstrations of loyalty and devotion 
that could possibly be made by an army toward a sovereign. The Queen 




The Spanish armored cruiser "Vizcaya." 

Displacement, 7000 tons. Length, 400 feet. Beam, 65 feet. Speed, 21 knots. Armor — belt, 12 inches; deck, 3 inches; 
turrets, 10 inches. Guns — two 9.5-inch (21-ton), ten 5. 5-inch, two 2.7-inch, seven 2.2-inch rapid-fire, eight 1.4-inch, seven mitrail- 
leuse. Torpedo-tubes, 8. 

From copyrighted photograph by West & Son, Southsea, England. 



was so moved by it that her face was bedewed with tears of gratitude, and 
thousands and tens of thousands of the British people looked on with 
moistened eyes. 

Imposing as is England's army in numbers, efficient as it is in every 
way, much as its varied services, now in Africa, now in China, now in the 
Pacific, appeal to our admiration, yet England's real defense is her navy. 



66 



MILITARY EUROPE 



For more than two thousand years the nation that has controlled the 
seas has to a great extent dictated the politics of the world. This was 
true of Rome and Spain, and has been true of England. For a short 
time the United States navy was the most powerful, in fact the only 






IlIllllIP!?' .ill! 




Her Majesty the Queen. 



modern navy of its kind afloat; but the prominence it occupied in 1865 
remained with us but a few years. The sea power of England is to-day 
the bulwark and salvation of the British Empire. By that power it is 
enabled to hold its own provinces and to exert the most powerful influ- 
ence in the politics of the world. The English are not only proud of 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



6 7 



their present sea power, but they glory in the events of the past, and 
they justly felt that a review of their fleet would be one of the significant 
and splendid features of the Jubilee ceremonies. To carry out their 
plans they assembled off Spithead, in the English Channel, one hundred 
and sixty-eight vessels of the Brit- 
ish navy, manned by 38,000 men, 
the most powerful and effective fleet 
that ever floated upon the waters of 
the earth. 

They were not mistaken in their 
belief that the pageant would be im- 
posing. No man on the special train 
which took the royal party and the 
Jubilee guests down from London 
to Portsmouth on June 26, 1897, na d 
ever seen such a sight. We reached 
Portsmouth about noon, and were 
assigned places on the royal yachts 
which were to pass the fleet in re- 
view. At two o'clock a salute was 
fired, and the Victoria and Albert, 
the yacht having the Prince of 
Wales on board, started from the 

harbor of Portsmouth, followed by a line of vessels bearing the guests. 
To understand the manner in which the review was conducted one 
should examine the bird's-eye view of the fleet as it lay at anchor, repro- 
duced on page 69. That view shows how the 168 battle-ships and 
cruisers which formed the fleet were arranged in lines running from 
east to west, 30 in the first line, 30 in the second, 38 in the third, 48 in 
the fourth. South of them were arranged first a line of visiting- battle- 
ships, and beyond that a row of merchant vessels. To the north were 
some twenty torpedo-boats. By this arrangement great water avenues 




The Princess of Wales. 



68 MILITARY EUROPE 



were formed, and it was up and down these that the reviewing vessels 
passed. 

Every ship in the fleet was gaily decorated with hundreds of flags 
and pennants, and the yards were manned by seamen. As the Prince of 
Wales passed, the band of each ship played " God Save the Queen " and 
other national airs, and the great batteries thundered their salutes. In 
the line of foreign vessels was a single war-ship of the United States, the 
Brooklyn. She was the only vessel in the line painted white, and the 
irreverent tars called her the "cement factory." Her decks were crowded 
with a good company of enthusiastic Americans. The review occupied 
some two hours, and after it was over the vessels returned to Portsmouth, 
where the Prince of Wales signaled to the admiral who commanded the 
fleet, Sir Nowell Salmon, his satisfaction with the display. That evening 
the fleet was illuminated — a surpassingly beautiful spectacle. An excel- 
lent description of this illumination was given by Mr. Steevens, and is 
here quoted : 

Out on the sea front you could see the lights of the fleet like glow-worms in the dark. 
Then suddenly there sounded a gun ; and as I moved along Southsea Common there appeared 
in the line a ship of fire: a ship all made of fire — hull and funnels and military masts with fight- 
ing-tops. And then another, and another, and another. The fleet revealed itself from behind 
the castle, ship after ship traced in fire against the blackness. From the head of Southsea 
they still came on — fresh wonders of grace and light and splendor, stretching away, still end- 
lessly, as in the daytime, till they became a confused glimmer six miles away. It was the 
fleet, and yet not the fleet. You could recognize almost any ship by her lines and rig, — just 
as if it had been in day, — only transmuted from steel and paint into living gold. 

For three hours this miracle of brightness shone vvondrously at Spithead. At half-past 
eleven or so the Prince returned the second time as before, and the golden fleet sent a 
thunder of salute after him. Then, as I stood on the high roof of the Central Hotel, the clock 
struck twelve, and before my eyes the golden fleet vanished — vanished clean away in a 
moment. You could just see it go. Here half a ship broken off, there masts and funnels 
hanging an instant in the air; it all vanished, and nothing at all was left except the rigging 
lights, trembling faintly once more on the dark sea. 

One of the most significant things of the day to me was that within 
view of this great fleet of modern war-ships lay that link which binds the 
glories of the past with the grandeur and power of the present — the small 



THE MILITARY AND NAVAL GLORY OF ENGLAND 



6 9 



battle-ship Victory, the flag-ship of Nelson, who contributed so much to 
the perpetuity and fame of the British navy. It is still preserved with 
great care, and the place on the deck where Nelson stood when he re- 



V 



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W&iL' '~' : -"f -' 



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THE -\ Y 

NAVAL REVIEW/ -T^U^K 
at SPITHEAD 

JUNE 26 1897. 




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One hundred and sixty-eight vessels of the British navy, manned by 38,000 men, the most powerful and 
effective fleet that ever floated upon the waters of the earth." 



ceived his mortal wound, and the little cabin where he died amid the 
storm, the horror, and the gleam of victory of the great battle of 
Trafalgar. 

The most wonderful fact about the review was that not a single vessel 
from the Mediterranean, Asiatic, or Pacific squadrons was drawn to make 
up this powerful body of war-ships. The review fleet was but a minor 
part of the great naval force which Great Britain has scattered in all parts 
of the globe. The British fleet entire — which at the time of the review 
was manned by 100,000 men and had cost upward of $400,000,000 — 
consisted of 467 ships of all classes, with 64 building. Of this number 
28 were first-class battle- ships, 34 first-class cruisers, 125 first-class tor- 



7° MILITARY EUROPE 



pedo craft. When we remember that England must keep vessels in all 
quarters of the globe — in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, off the 
coast of North America and in the West Indies, at the Cape of Good 

Hope and in the Pacific, as well as a great number for general service 

the need of this vast armament is apparent. It is the one effective safe- 
guard not only of England but of her world-wide colonies. 



MILITARY MANCEUVERS 



MILITARY MANCEUVERS 

THE autumn manoeuvers of Europe, which take place annually, are of 
deep and important interest to military students. Each year officers 
from all of the principal countries of the world are sent by their govern- 
ments to witness these manceuvers and to make reports upon them. In 
late years they have been very extensive in some countries, especi- 
ally in Germany, Erance, and Russia. Many important lessons, re- 
garding not only tactical formations of troops, but also all kinds of 
equipments, the quickest and safest means of transportation, and the 
food best adapted for troops while in actual service, have been learned 
from observations made by military men during these manceuvers. Many 
of the modern appliances of war are tested in these campaigns, and their 
use exemplified. All of these things aside, however, the benefit derived 
from the athletic training of men and the discipline would, perhaps, be 
a sufficient reward for the time, money, and energy spent in organizing 
and carrying out these manoeuvers. I was especially fortunate, during 
my travels in Europe in 1897, in having occasion to witness the ma- 
nceuvers held at Krasnoe-Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia, the grand 
manceuvers in Germany, and part of those in the north of France. 

The first of these took place in Russia, where I arrived on August 
15th. I had previously communicated with our representative, the Hon. 
Clifton R. Breckinridge, whom I had known very pleasantly for a num- 
ber of years as a distinguished member of Congress from Arkansas, and 



74 



M I L I T A R V EUROPE 



who had represented our government with such marked ability at the 
Russian court. He had already made known to the Russian government 
my wishes to witness their manceuvers and to see such other military 
exercises as it might please them to permit me. I was duly introduced 
by Mr. Breckinridge to the ministers of war and of foreign affairs, who 
received me in a most courteous and friendly way, showing their desire 




Officers of the Russian gendarmerie preceding an imperial train. 



to extend every civility. A very accomplished and experienced officer 
of the Chevalier Garde, Lieutenant Tsertzkoff, was detailed to report to 
me for duty during my stay, and two of the royal carriages were placed 
at my disposal, while the Emperor entertained me and my party as 



guests. 



I had been but two days at St. Petersburg when I received an invi- 
tation, which amounted to a command, to visit Peterhof, undoubtedly 




n A Miles and his aide, Lieutenant-Colonel Maus, viewing the maneuvers of the Russian 
Geneial Nelson A. IVLue^ ^ ^ pe ' tersburg> in honor of the President of France. 



M I L I T A K V MANCEUVERS 



77 



the most attractive summer palace in the world at the present time, 
occupied by the Emperor and Empress as their summer home. At the 
palace I was granted an interview by his Majesty, and was received with 
marked cordiality. The Emperor's manner is frank and unostentatious, 
and there is nothing in his speech or deportment to impress one with the 
large power possessed by this young man 
of thirty-three years. He speaks English 
perfectly, is thoroughly well informed on all 
military matters, and in general appearance 
is as much a student as a soldier. He de- 
votes much attention to civil affairs, and is 
especially interested in the internal im- 
provements, developments, and commercial 
welfare of Russia. 

The conversation related chiefly to mili- 
tary matters, and then drifted to the subject 
which appeared to be nearest the Emper- 
or's heart — that of the great Siberian Rail- 
way, which is of vast commercial, political, 
and military importance to Russia. He him- 
self passed over the zone that this great rail- 
way will penetrate before he ascended the 
throne, and he is now president of the company which is rapidly construct- 
ing this great work. It is one of the most important enterprises now under 
process of construction in the world; it will be a powerful factor in develop- 
ing a country the resources of which are little known, and will have great 
effect upon the destinies of mankind. In speaking of this enterprise I re- 
ferred to the great change that had been wrought in our own country by 
the construction of the transcontinental railroads, first definitely projected 
during our terrible civil war, for the purpose of holding the two sections 
of our country in closer union and more loyal sentiment. I declared that 
these railroads have transformed that vast area of wild territory and moun- 




Prince KhilkofT, 
Russian Minister of Public Works. 

From a photograph liy Levitsky, St. Petersburg. 



78 



MILITARY EUROPE 



tain waste into settled, civilized, thriving, progressive communities in the 
space of a single generation, and I said that I presumed a similar result 
would follow the opening of the great avenue of communication and 
commerce now being constructed across the enormous area of the 
Russian Empire. I asked if the land would be divided into subdivisions 
in a way similar to what we had adopted in our own country and found 




A group of commanders in the Russian army at the grand review at Krasnoe-Selo. 

On the left, distinguishable by his white beard, is General Bilderlung, in conversation with the Grand Duke Vladimir, in the center. 
Facing them, on the right, is General Obrontcheff, recently retired from the command of the army. 



so beneficial. The Emperor said that that was his purpose and design, 
and he hoped for gratifying results. I remarked that we had found, by 
dividing our public land into small sections and parceling them out to 
colonists, that they had become our most intelligent, loyal citizens ; that 
we found they were wedded and anchored to the soil, and that a 
man who possessed a quarter-section of land was a more loyal citizen 
than one who simply owned a knife. The use of the last word seemed 
to cause his Majesty an unhappy thought, as I judged from his expres- 



MILITARY M AN CEUVERS 79 

sion ; yet he instantly resumed his pleasant mood, talked upon the 
subject of the development of that great section of his empire with much 
interest, and expressed hope that the completion of the enterprise would 
contribute to the welfare and benefit of the people of Russia. 

The construction of the Siberian Railway is under the supervision 
of one of the most remarkable men of Europe. Prince Khilkoff, some 
twenty years ago, had a misunderstanding with his father, and declared 
that he would not receive any assistance from his estate. He came to 
America and sought occupation. He found a humble position in a 
machine-shop in Philadelphia, and was first set to making bolts in a 
car factory. By his devotion to his work, and by his intelligence and 
acquired skill, he passed through all the phases of that industry until 
he became superintendent of the establishment. He at one time ran 
a locomotive on the Pennsylvania Central, and in time acquired a thor- 
ough knowledge not only of the construction of the material pertaining 
to railroad appliances, but the mode of constructing and managing such 
systems of transportation. He at length returned to Russia, obtained 
a similar position in one of the great establishments of that country, 
and finally worked his way up to the responsible position of Minister 
of Transportation for the Russian Empire, which position he now holds. 
Under his direction is being constructed perhaps the greatest civil en- 
terprise now going on in any part of the world, one which will have 
great influence not only on the future destinies of Russia, but on the 
people of India, China, and Japan. Prince Khilkoff speaks English per- 
fectly, looks like an American, and is one of the brightest and strongest 
men I met during my journey. Two years ago he passed over the line 
of the road, crossing from Japan to San Francisco, thence across our 
country to New York, on his return to St. Petersburg. 

It was just after my visit to Peterhof that I went to Krasnoe-Selo 
to see the manceuvers of the Russian army. Krasnoe-Selo, or, as the 
translation of the word means, " Red Village," is situated about fifteen 
or twenty miles distant from St. Petersburg. Here annually a large 



8o MILITARY EUROPE 



camp is formed, and manoeuvers are carried out. In other sections of 
Russia there are more extended manceuvers, but those, I understand, 
are never witnessed by foreigners ; for example, they occur on a very 
extensive scale each year in Poland. Krasnoe-Selo is a very pretty 
village which was purchased by the government as a field for manceuvers 
sixty years ago, and has gradually been improved until now it is ad- 
mirably adapted for the purpose. There are barracks for the soldiers, 
hospitals for the sick, buildings for the officers, a special pavilion for 
the Emperor, with other suitable buildings for the imperial family, a 
building in which the Emperor's mess is established, and quarters for 
the entertainment of guests who witness annually the evolutions of the 
army. This camp is not occupied all the year round, as at Aldershot, 
the English camp, but after the exercises have been completed the troops 
retire to their stations. 

My first visit to Krasnoe-Selo was on August iSth, three days be- 
fore the grand manceuvers began. The occasion was the fete d'c'glisc, 
or church fete, of some of the regiments, which was to be followed by a 
review of the troops by the Emperor. 

Each regiment in the Russian army has a patron saint, and on the 
day of that saint yearly a religious ceremony is held by the regiment. 
It is always an interesting ceremony, and on the occasion at Krasnoe- 
Selo was one of great brilliancy. 

Accompanied by Captain Maus and Lieutenant Tsertzkoffi, I left St. 
Petersburg on a special train ordered for the guests at nine o'clock on the 
mornine of the 18th, and arrived in time to witness all of the ceremonies. 
The railroad along the line from St. Petersburg to camp was guarded 
by troops. 

The Emperor, the Empress, grand-dukes and duchesses, — in fact, a 
large number of the royal family, — came to the camp about eleven o'clock. 
Their coming was announced by long-continued blasts of trumpets and 
the sounds of drums. A handsome tent had been arranged for their con- 
venience, where seats were placed on rich rugs. The high priests of the 




Nicholas II., Emperor of Russia. 

Nicholas II. succeeded to the Russian throne October 20, 1894. This portrait was taken while he was still Grand Duke. 
From a photograph by De Jongh Frt-res. Paris. 



MILITARY MANCEUVERS 83 



church, in their brilliant robes, were especially impressive. The Emperor 
first proceeded down the lines of the troops, who had been formed in a 
hollow square, and as he passed each organization he addressed the men 
in words which, I was informed, meant, " Good morning, my braves," or 
"men." The long line of men, with their eyes fixed upon the Emperor, 
replied as in one voice, saying, "We thank your Majesty; we wish you 
much happiness." As each organization was passed the same words were 
said. There was a good feeling in all this ; there was a hearty sound 
to the voice of the men in recognition of their Emperor, far different from 
the harsh way we have been taught to believe that the Russian soldiers 
look upon the officials of Russia. 

The religious part of the ceremony consisted of prayer and blessing 
of the flags by the priests, who pass along the lines in so doing. During 
the prayers the Emperor stood before the cosmopolitans bareheaded, in 
a reverential way crossing himself several times. After the religions 
part of the ceremony was over the troops marched by. The march- 
ing was excellent, the men appearing especially well in every wa^\ As 
each battalion passed, the Emperor would express his approval by say- 
ing, "Well done," while a thousand voices in unison replied, "We thank 
your Majesty; we are glad to please you." On other occasions I 
noticed that the Emperor spoke to his men, and that replies were given 
in words the meaning of which was the same. 

After the review we passed through the camps, which were well organ- 
ized, the sanitary conditions being especially good. They were clean and 
pleasant-looking. On this occasion the men had an extra good din- 
ner, and appeared to be contented and to enjoy what was provided for 
them. The ladies of the party seemed to take great interest in the men's 
mess. We then proceeded to the Emperor's pavilion, where we had 
lunch. It was a very pleasant occasion, and a large number of officers 
were present. It being the birthday of the Emperor of Austria, the 
Russian Emperor drank to his health, to which the Austrian ambassador 
replied in a happy manner. 



8 4 



MILITARY EUROPE 



The manceuvers which followed the lunch were divisional. An attack 
on Krasnoe-Selo was attempted by one division, while another division 
defended it. It was conducted in a very spirited way. the Emperor, the 
Empress, and others being present and witnessing it. A theater is pro- 
vided at the camp, and in the evening we attended the performance, Mme. 
judic performing. The theater is owned by the government, and re- 





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? 



M* 



■ 






3 



Manceuvers of Russian soldiers — the passage of a river. 
From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 



served for the use of the military and guests. I had the pleasure ot 
meeting on this occasion the Princess Bellokowski, who vvas a Miss 
Whittier of Boston, an especially attractive woman and very popular 
at the Russian court. 

The grand manceuvers commenced on the 21st, the troops en- 
gaged being those of the Gorde Corps, in all about 35,000 to 40,000 
men. For the purpose the forces wire divided into two corps. One 
corps, operating from the north, was slightly weaker than the other, 




The royal party at the review of Russian troops, held in honor of the President of Fiance. 
The Emperor Nicholas is seen standing at the door of the tent. 



MILITARY MANCEUVERS 87 

but expected reinforcements from the railroad by way of Finland. 
The object of the southern force was to prevent the arrival of the rein- 
forcements. It was a beautiful country for such a manceuver, and the 
place where we were to rendezvous and where the Emperor was to 
repair was on a high point from which one could see the country for miles 
around, and this was the key of the position, for which a struggle was 
made by the southern force. 

The use of cavalry as practised in the Russian army was well shown 
here, as a large force, with several horse batteries, was rapidly sent for- 
ward to dismount and occupy this hill and to hold it until the infantry 
forces from the north, coming down in two larye columns, should arrive. 
The movement was well executed. The batteries had just been placed 
in position when the advance of the southern force was seen approach- 
ing, the forces proceeding in long columns covered by cavalry, while 
away to the front patrols could be seen moving. The northern army 
having occupied its line of battle, the cavalry moved off to its left. 
Shortly afterward the cavalry of the south could be seen rapidly approach- 
ing, when a charge was made, the two cavalry columns meeting. It was 
exceedingly interesting, resulting, however, in the defeat of the north- 
ern cavalry, which retired and reformed some distance to the rear. 
Heavy artillery firing now commenced from the south. It was kept 
up for a long time, and in actual war would have been very severe. 
This was replied to, however, by a number of batteries well sta- 
tioned along the line of defense. The attack was made by the south- 
ern force in regular order, line after line advancing to the attack well 
supported, according to the modern attack formation. The fire was very 
intense. All along the line this fire was kept up for perhaps an hour, 
until at last the northern force made a charge, each line passing through 
the other, when the recall was sounded. The results of these manceu- 
vers were not published, but in all probability the northern force would 
have been successful in resisting the attack made upon it. 

The Emperor, who is a most active and energetic man, evinced great 



88 



MILITARY EUROPE 



personal interest in all the manceuvers and exercises of the troops dur- 
ing the encampment, and made his headquarters at the camp during the 
entire time. He was present each day, and witnessed carefully each 
movement. Each day notifications were given as to the manner of dress, 
the exact hour and point of rendezvous. The Grand Duke Vladimir 
ordered the general plan of operations day by day, but great latitude was 




The Fifty-second Regiment of Infantry of Vilna at Theodosia, in the Crimea. 

Formation of a company of chasseurs, escalade movement. 
From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 



left to commanding officers, and they were invited, as is the custom in 
foreign armies, to show originality and energy in carrying out their 
special movements ; and the successful handling of troops was a matter 
of especial commendation by the Emperor, whose desire appeared to be 
to give his officers that experience which would fit them tor command in 
actual war. 



MILITARY MAXCEUVEKS 



8 9 



The time is not entirely taken up at Krasnoe-Selo in military manceu- 
vers. The camp life here is a matter of much interest to the visitor. 
As soon as the day's work is done, soldiers are free to amuse themselves 
as they wish, so that the entire camp becomes for the time a great play- 
ground ; and the men appear to enjoy exceedingly this relaxation, while 
at the same time they evince great interest and earnestness in military 






M- 





Review of hussars of the Emperor at Krasnoe-Selo, August, 1897. 

The Grand Duke Vladimir, Commander of the Districts of St. Petersburg, is in the middle foreground ; Colonel Gregaria, waving 
his sword, is at the right. The Signal Department is seen under the balloon. 



work. Another interesting feature of the Krasnoe-Selo manceuvers is 
the presenting here each year of the diplomas by the Emperor to the 
cadets of the military schools. At the time of my visit on the completion 
of the manceuvers about 800 cadets were made happy by the Emperor 
commissioning them. 

Just after the annual manceuvers of the army ended I had an oppor- 



90 MILITARY EUROP E 



tunity to see a most imposing review of the Russian troops held in honor 
of President Faure, of the French Republic. The French President 
reached Kronstadt, the harbor of St. Petersburg, on the morning of 
August 23d. Here the Emperor and his suite met him and conducted 
him to Peterhof, where in the evening a grand banquet was given. The 
next day the entire company at Peterhof went to St. Petersburg, where a 
most enthusiastic popular reception was accorded the distinguished visitor. 
The most exacting Frenchman could not have demanded more. One 
could not but contrast this wild demonstration over the visit of the French 
President with the mission and reception of the great Corsican some 
eighty-five years before, and marvel at the rapidity with which events ot 
the past are forgotten when the interests of the present and the welfare 
of the future are before a people or government. 

This review took place at Krasnoe-Selo, the Emperor, Empress, and 
the President and their guests going to the field by rail. The royal 
party went at once, on arriving, to what was called the Tribune of Honor, 
a great artificial mound built up at one side of the field and covered with 
sod. On it was erected a tent for their convenience. From this stand 
the President and Empress watched the review. The Emperor, with the 
grand dukes and the military representatives of other powers, were ranged 
in line at the base of the Tribune. The review was one of the finest 
military displays I have ever witnessed. 

The most dramatic incident of the review was the passing in front 
of the Tribune of Honor of Prince Louis Napoleon at the head ol his 
company of Russian troops, the Czar and the President both graciously 
acknowledging his salute as he passed. 

Every man in Russia is liable to military service from his twenty-first 
year. Nearly 900,000 reach this age every year in the empire, and 
of these about 275,000 are taken into the active army, and the rest 
are placed in the reserve, which is of three classes. Those in the active 
army serve five years, and those in the reserve one, three, and five, ac- 
cording to the class. These latter drill six weeks twice a year. These 




Arrival of President Faure at Kronstadt to visit the Emperor of Russia, August 23, 1897. 

. . . i ri -J_._. „f t" --„ Tko fit-in A Ftllk- 



beside the Emperor, leaning on his sword, is Admiral Tchikalcnetl. 



MILITARY MANEUVERS 93 

are the periods in European Russia; they differ somewhat in Asia and 
Caucasia. The total peace footing of the armies of "all the Russias," 
that is, Russia in Europe, Siberia, Turkestan, and Finland, amounts, 
according to the latest figures, to 33,529 officers, 835,143 men, and 155,- 
478 horses. The actual war footing is more difficult to know, but, accord- 
ing to the most conservative estimate, it is probable that Russia could, in 
case of war, mobilize with tolerable ease in first line of battle an army 
of at least 1,355,000 men, with a reserve of about 1,100,000; that is, 
she would have at her command a force of 2,455,000, witli perhaps 
55,000 officers and 500,000 horses. If one considers the efficiencv of 
the troops and the officers, something of the military strength of the 
empire is realized. 

From the observations of the Russian army which I was able to make 
at Krasnoe-Selo during the manceuvers and at the review, I concluded 
that it is exceedingly well equipped, well disciplined, and well armed for 
any purpose, and that its officers are skilled and accomplished. Most 
of the officers belong to the aristocracy, and are highly educated ; they 
are the best military linguists in Europe. The Grand Duke Vladimir 
is an ideal field-marshal and a very able general, in whom evidently the 
Emperor has great confidence. The Grand Duke Alexis is the head 
of the navy department. In my conversation with him he referred with 
great pleasure to his visit and entertainment in our country, and the 
famous hunts in which he took part on the plains. He has grown 
somewhat stout since his visit to our country, but has a very com- 
manding presence. 

The Russian army is, I think, capable of greater endurance in the 
field than any other in Europe. The infantry and artillery are com- 
posed of strong, hardy men, and the cavalry are unexcelled. The Cos- 
sacks constitute perhaps the best of the mounted troops. The horses 
are strong, hardy, and well fitted for the hardships and fatigues that 
campaigns require. In fact, the Russian horses, I believe, are the best 
in the world. The Russian people take better care of their horses than 



y4 MILITARY EUROPE 



any other people I have ever known. They are strong, well fed, and 
full of spirit, and not mutilated in the cruel manner in which we find 
them in our own country and other countries of Europe. In fact, in 
Russia it is considered bad iorm for a driver to carry a whip, and 
I never saw during my stay a horse that appeared to be ill treated or 
ill fed. 

From St. Petersburg I went to Berlin, where I had my first look at 
the German troops, at a review by the Emperor and Empress of the Guard 
Corps, undoubtedly the best corps of the German army. At the close 
of the ceremony I was presented to the Emperor. His Majesty, drilled 
from boyhood in military duties, is a thorough soldier and an intense 
enthusiast in military matters. The Empress, mounted on a splendid 
charger, presented a very beautiful appearance with her three-cornered 
chapeau and the bright white uniform of her regiment. She seemed 
to have the devotion and affection of the army quite as much, if not more 
than, the sovereign. 

While in Berlin I received a very cordial letter from Herr Krupp, 
inviting me to visit his works at Essen with my aide-de-camp, Captain 
Maus. I accepted the invitation and spent two days with him. I found 
Herr Krupp living in a palatial residence surrounded by forests and 
fields. He is a grandson of Krupp, the founder of the famous estab- 
lishment. This latter started in a humble way, but he continued until 
his establishment became the greatest of its class in the world. At pres- 
ent there are some 33,000 men employed at Essen, and in addition to 
the main works there are branch establishments located at other places. 
Millions of dollars worth of war materials go out from these foundries. 
Not only are war materials constructed, but machinery of the finest 
type and for all sorts of purposes, great quantities even being sent to 
this country. The Calumet and Hecla copper-mines on Lake Superior 
are among Krupp's best customers, and have imported considerable quan- 
tities of massive machinery from his works. It is singular to see how 
real worth finds its natural level. Here at Krupp's foundry they are 



MILITARY MANEUVERS 95 



using intricate machinery invented by Americans, and at the same time 
sending' machinery of their own construction to American markets. 

The present head of the Krupp establishment lives like a prince. He 
is highly educated, benevolent, progressive, and well informed on all 
topics of the day. Like his father, he has declined all titles from the 
German government. 1 [err Krupp entertains many distinguished guests. 
While I was there he was anticipating a visit from the King of Siam, who 
was coming with a suite of some twenty persons, and he was anxiously- 
considering how he could best entertain him. He had made a program 
for the three days the King was to remain. On the first the)- were to 
visit his extensive establishment ; on the second, drive over the beautiful 
country. The third da)' was Sunday, and Herr Krupp was at a loss to 
know what to do with the distinguished pagan. He heard, however, of 
a traveling circus company in the neighborhood, and decided to engage 
it for the entire day, in order to give the King an entertainment which 
would be amusing, it not instructive. 

After visiting Krupp' s foundry I went to Homburg, where I had been 
invited to witness the grand manoeuvers of the German arm)'. These ma- 
neuvers took place near Homburg, the principal territory manceuvered 
over being that to the east, in the vicinity ot Hanau and Franktort. The 
Emperor had his headcpiarters at Homburg. This was the latter part of 
the season, and while there were still a great many guests present, many 
had departed. The Prince of Wales had not made his usual visit to 
this place, but the Duke of Cambridge was there, and was present 
at the great review of the Eleventh Army-Corps, which took place on the 
4th of September, on which occasion the troops presented a most mag- 
nificent appearance. In addition to the Emperor and Empress, the 
Grand Duchess of Hesse, honorary colonel of one of the regiments, 
and King Humbert and Queen Margarita of Italy were present at the 
review. 

This corps was about 33,000 strong, one of the largest in the German 
army. It was interesting to see the King of Italy, who was honorary 



9 6 



MILITARY EUROPE 



colonel of one of the regiments, take his place at the head of the regiment 
and pass in review before the Emperor. The Grand Duchess of Hesse 
also passed in review at the head of her regiment, while the Emperor left 
the column twice, and taking command of regiments of which he was 
honorary colonel, leaving the King of Italy at the reviewing-stand, passed 
these regiments in review. Twice they passed, once in column of compa- 




The First Regiment of Orenburg Cossacks at Kharkoff, performing exercises on horseback. 
From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 

nies, batteries, and squadrons, again in line of battalions, the cavalry and 
artillery at *a gallop, in perfect order, presenting a magnificent appear- 
ance. That niq;ht, as well as after the review at Berlin, we were all 
entertained by the Emperor at a state dinner. A speech was made by 
Emperor William, full of kindly feeling for Italy, and a reply was made 
by King Humbert, with equally friendly expressions, from which it was 
evident that the Triple x^lliance was still in strong force. 

The grand manceuvers which took place on September 6th and ended 




■> m n 1 



Emperor William of Germany, and Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. 
From a photograph by Strelisky, Budapest. 



M I L I T A K V M ANOiUVEKS 



99 



on the ioth were the most extensive ever held in Germany in time of 
peace. There were 117,000 men in all engaged in these manceuvers. 
The labor of organizing, equipping, transporting, and supplying such an 
army must have been immense. All of this had been worked out by the 
general staff of Germany ; maps had been provided which were models in 
themselves, by which from day to day the movements of the troops 




King Humbert's Regiment of German Hussars, dismounted. 
From a photograph by Jacobi, Metz. 

could be seen and followed with great ease. This force was about 
lour times as great as that at Krasnoe-Selo, and about 50,000 more 
than that of the French at the manceuvers of which I witnessed a part 
later. 

The problem in the German manceuvers was to bring a great army 
into the field and to operate against an invading army which had crossed 



IOO MILITARY EUROPE 



the Rhine from the west. For the purpose the forces were divided 
into two armies. The western or invading army was represented by 
a portion of these troops under General Count von Haeseler, while 
the eastern or army of defense was commanded by Prince Leopold of 
Bavaria, the two armies being nearly equal in strength. The western 
army was composed of Prussians, and represented the invading army 
from the west, while Prince Leopold's army was composed of Bavarians, 
and represented an eastern army assembled to resist it. We were pro- 
vided with horses and orderlies, and proceeded each day by train near 
the field of action, where, following the Emperor, we witnessed the ma- 
nceuvers. Many miles were covered by these troops, and it was necessary 
to ride long distances to see the action. The use of troops of all the 
branches was exemplified. The various modes of attack and defense in 
modern warfare were shown. Long and weary marches were made by 
the troops in accomplishing all of this. Much of the time it rained, and 
it was far from easy service. In fact, except for the danger of war, 
perhaps the troops suffered as much hardship as they would in actual 
campaign, and yet they seemed well supplied, and there were few acci- 
dents. There were some losses ; several men were drowned in cross- 
ing streams, in which the use of the pontoon-bridge was shown. Some 
were taken sick, but comparatively few died, probably sixty in all out 
of this immense army, which was indeed a remarkably small percent- 
age under any circumstances. 

On the last day of the manceuvers, September ioth, a new problem 
was presented. The Emperor himself took direct command, in which 
his army of defense was supposed to consist of six army-corps. These 
were pitted against a force of supposed invaders of four army-corps. 
One of the most brilliant spectacles was a charge by a force of about 
12,000 cavalry, led by the Emperor. 

I was much interested, while watching the combats at the German 
manceuvers, in the effect of the smokeless powder. One heard the sound 
of the cannon and the rattle of musketry, but saw nothing until the troops 




The Emperors Francis Joseph of Austria and William of Germany. 
From a photograph by Erdelyi, Budapest. 



MILITARY MANCEU VERS IO3 

advanced or retreated across the country within his line of vision. Thus 
one formerly valuable means of judging of the whereabouts of an enemy 
and of the progress of a battle is taken from a commanding officer by 
the use of smokeless powder. 

Extensive use was made of military balloons in the German manceu- 
vers for observation purposes, and the opposing armies were provided 
each with one or more constantly in use. The familiar pear-shaped 
balloon was used, and in addition the "dragon" balloon. This is very 
different in form, and is constructed to avoid the constant whirling and 
spinning motion which is had with the ordinary shape. It is stated that 
there is considerable steadiness in the new form, and consequently it 
is better suited for observation. Telephone lines connect these balloons 
with operators below, thus enabling the observers to communicate rap- 
idly. The Russians used the balloon in their manceuvers, and one of 
the features of their review in honor of President Faure was launching 
a balloon bearing in mammoth letters the words " La France." The 
familiar spherical or pear shaped balloon is, however, used by them. 

I was very much impressed, at the manceuvers, with the excellent 
training of the German soldiers. Young men in Germany are com- 
pelled to enlist at twenty, and serve two years in the active army, and 
then give a portion of the following five years to the reserve. In that 
way the entire male population becomes trained soldiers, so that in 
case of war they may be called into service and easily formed into 
regiments ; and thus after one generation the whole male population of 
Germany becomes a great military force. The severe drill and discipline 
enforced in the German army makes thorough soldiers of the young men, 
and in some respects is a good school of practice, either for war or peace. 
It compels respect to superiors; it! enforces cleanliness, sobriety, simple 
habits of life, and regularity in daily labor ; it lifts up the awkward, list- 
less, and careless boy to the position of manhood ; it promotes physical 
strength. Yet the rigid discipline appears to some extent distasteful, as 
I noticed very few veterans in the ranks. The number of young men 



104 



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who are liable each year to service in the German army are about 
400,000, and of these some 228,000 are incorporated. The present 
peace footing of the army is 22,687 officers, 562,207 in the rank and file, 
and 97,378 horses. The war footing of the German army is believed to 
be fully 3,000,000 trained men. The armies of Austria and Italy — the 




Detachment o! a German bicycle corps, numbering Soo men. 
From a photograph by Jacobi, Metz. 

other two members of the Triple Alliance — are, of course, smaller than 
Germany's, though both are large considering the size of the countries. 
I did not have an opportunity to observe the manceuvers of either the 
Italian or Austrian army, though I saw something of both in passing 
through those countries. In leaving Greece in June to go to the English 
Jubilee, I passed through both Italy and Austria. I spent several days 
in Rome, where the Minister of War received me very cordially and gave 




Emperor William of Germany, and King Humbert of Italy. 
From a photograph by Jacobi, Metz. 



MILITARY MANCEUVERS I07 



me every opportunity of seeing the best of the Italian army, at the same 
time pointing out the improvements which are making in the general 
equipment of the troops. The Italian army is made up of 10,993 officers, 
219,625 men, 34,038 horses and pack-animals, and 1242 guns. In some 
respects it is better uniformed than any of the other armies of Europe. 
The good taste, as well as the adaptation of the uniform for garrison or 
field service, are particularly noticeable. The Italian army, although it 
has not been as successful as some others in its campaigns during the 
last fifty years, is in a very high order of discipline, instruction, and equip- 
ment, and makes a creditable appearance both in field service and gar- 
rison life. During my brief visit in Rome there was a review by the 
King of Italy, accompanied by the King of Siam, of some 12,000 of the 
best Italian troops. It would be hard to excel this body of troops 
in uniform, equipment, military appearance, and general excellence of 
condition. 

At Vienna I received from the Minister of War courtesies similar 
to those extended to me in Rome. A very accomplished Austrian 
officer, Captain Nosek, was detailed as my aide-de-camp, and in his com- 
pany I visited the military establishments around Vienna and saw the 
troops stationed there. The Austrian army is composed of 18, 129 offi- 
cers, 329,112 men, 60,369 horses, and 1984 guns. The army is as well 
uniformed and equipped, and as commodiously and comfortably quartered 
in barracks of modern construction, as any troops on the Continent. 

Leaving Homburg, I hastened to Paris in order to arrive in time to 
see as much as possible of the French manceuvers, which had com- 
menced some days before. General Porter, our ambassador in Paris, 
had already kindly arranged for permission for me to witness these 
manceuvers. They were held at St.-Ouentin, about ninety miles from 
Paris to the north, and they took place in the same country in which 
the campaign of the north in the war of 1870-71 had been fought. 
The general idea of these troops was to illustrate the methods that 
would be taken to resist an invading army under circumstances similar 



I08 MILITARY EUROPE 



to those which obtained during this last war. St.-Ouentin was the 
scene of the decisive battle that was fought in January, 1871, and 
there again a conflict was now about to take place between the two 
contending armies. In the war the French army was commanded by 
General Faidherbe, the German army being under the command of 
General von Goben. As history records, the French were badly de- 
feated here. This destroyed the hope that the French army which 
was then held in Paris might join with the army then operating in the 
north. A successful battle here would have been of great importance 
to the French people. The troops engaged in the manceuvers were about 
the same in number — 75.000 — as those who took part in the battle. 
General de France commanded the army of defense, while General 
Kessler commanded that of invasion. 

I was much impressed with the discipline of the French troops. 
Their dispositions for attack and defense seemed to be characterized by 
exceedingly good judgment and ability. There was much spirit and 
earnestness shown by both officers and men, and the manceuvers must 
have been of much benefit. Tents were not used at all by the French 
army. The troops were all billeted in villages, which, being so numerous 
in France, were sufficient to accommodate large numbers. A similar 
arrangement is made in Germany, although the troops are supplied 
with shelter-tents, which are made of pieces, as in our country, and 
which can be put together ; but while our tents accommodate only two 
men, each man carrying a half, in the German army a large number of 
men can be supplied by putting together a number of pieces. 

On the 14th of September a grand review of the entire force, some 
70,000 men, was held by the President of the republic, accompanied by 
the King of Siam and the heads of the departments of the French govern- 
ment. Certainly the discipline and efficiency of the army, as displayed 
in their reviews, are of the first order. The entire army passed the 
tribune in less than two hours, and the cavalry charged past at a 
gallop, followed by the infantry and artillery, together with the bicycle 




Siege artillery at Algiers. 
From a photograph by De Jongh Freres, Paris. 



M I LITARY MANCEU \ 1 III 

corps, transportation-, balloon-, carriage-, engineer-, and pontoon-trains. 
While this was being done, the cavalry, numbering 12,000 men, massed 
on the opposite side of the field, and at a given signal charged across 
the field in one solid body, halting in perfect line within two hundred 
yards of the President, showing the highest order of discipline, drill, 
and efficiency. It was one of the most imposing sights I witnessed in 
Europe. 

The bicycle corps at this review attracted particular attention. It 
was much used during the maneuvers of this, as well as in those of the 
preceding year. Experiments and tests were made in order to deter- 
mine its adaptability for war purposes. The strength of the company 
was about 100 men. The men are provided with a folding wheel, 
which can be placed upon the back and carried with ease. It is stated 
that it takes only fifty seconds to put the wheel in place, and about thirty 
seconds to unfold it for a mount. The military wheelman wears the 
ordinary soldier's uniform, but is provided with a pair of leggings. 
He carries the rifle, and in addition the usual repair-kit, etc. The roads 
in France are ideal ones for the use of the bicycle. The French claim 
that the experiments which they have made with the bicycle prove its 
value, and the bicyclist would be very useful in operating with cavalry 
and horse batteries, and for reconnoitering purposes. The rapidity and 
silence of movements are important points in their favor. In the manceu 
vers of 1896 it was noticed that cavalry advancing with the greatest 
care could be heard and observed much sooner than wheelmen. The 
company of bicyclists in the maneuvers of that year were termed 
the " phantom company," because they so unexpectedly appeared before 
the enemy. 

I noticed bicyclists at all the reviews I saw, though not in so large a 
body as in the French army. In the German army wheelmen are attached 
to all the staffs as couriers, and in small numbers to almost every bat- 
talion, where they are used as scouts, couriers, and patrols. The 1 ,■ 
mans declare that their experience with bicyclists in their recent 



112 MILITARY EUROPE 



manceuvers proves that they are of the greatest value even in a rough 
country and in rainy weather. 

In fact, the value of the wheel to an army is beginning to be recog- 
nized everywhere. Whoever first places 25,000 or 50,000 men on bicycles 
in the next war will have a decided advantage over his opponent, and 
very likely compel him to resort to the same tactics. 

Not the least interesting feature of my visit to St.-Ouentin was meet- 
ing President Faure, whom, as I have already said, I had seen in Russia 
on the occasion of the French fete. The French President is one of the 
most courtly, dignified, and accomplished men that I met among- the 
heads of any of the governments of Europe, and he was surrouru by 
a very able cabinet of intelligent, progressive men. At no place tru. T 
visited was there manifested a more cordial sentiment toward the Ameri- 
can government and people than by the people of France. When we 
recall the fact that they aided us in establishing our independence, that 
they have, since the days of Lafayette, been our warm sympathizers, 
friends, and allies, and have given expression to this sentiment in many 
ways, not the least of which is that great monument that now adorns 
the entrance to the harbor of our metropolis, we should certainly be 
an ungrateful people if we did not in every way possible reciprocate their 
friendship and generosity. Moreover, the French people are certainly 
entitled to great consideration from Americans from the fact that they 
have maintained in the heart of Europe a liberal government similar to 
our own, against the prejudices of their surrounding neighbors. It would 
be eminently fitting for our government, in making an appropriation for 
the French Exposition of 1900, not only to provide for the buildings 
and accommodation of the great exhibit that this country will make, 
which will contribute greatly to the prosperity and wealth of our own 
people, but to arrange for the erection of some permanent structure as 
an indication of our gratitude for the benefits that we have received in 
the past from the French people. 






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